Star Wars Rebels: Sabine
by TheYellowLantern
Summary: "The choices we make, the action we take. Moments both big and small, shape us into Forces Of Destiny." A gallery of one shots and short stories on everyone's favourite graffiti artist: Sabine Wren. Rated T for safety.
1. Distractions

**_Season 1, the day after Droid In Distress._**

* * *

Ezra poured the box of flakes over his bowl in The Galley of the ship, then shaking it to get what little remained into his bowl. He then poured blue milk into it, and began eating. A fresh morning, the day of his Jedi training would begin. That's what Kanan promised him.

 _"It's gonna be so cool"_ He thought, enthusiastic.

After a little while, just the person he wanted to see walked in. Kanan. The man was fully dressed and ready for the day. He looked down at his new apprentice. And sighed. Ezra didn't like that, it made him think that Kanan wasn't happy.

 _"I hardly know where to begin"_ The Jedi thought. _"Guess I should start with the talk"_

Kanan walked over to the table, and then sat down opposite Ezra. He rested his elbows on the table and cupped his fist in his hand. His eyes trailed down, he was thinking. Ezra, out of respect, stopped eating his cereal.

"Okay...Jedi training..." Kanan said, as he nudged his forehead into his hands a couple times and muttering under his breath. "Ah, how did this work in the old days?"

Jedi were typically trained up from a very young age. Ezra was fourteen. So that was a difficulty right there. The only other case Kanan remembered of this was when Master Kenobi took up training Skywalker. But Kanan wasn't a Master, he wasn't even a Knight. Just a...aged up Padawan. In knowledge, and ability. He just tried to muster up as much as he could from his own Master: Depa Bilaba.

"Right...so for starters..." Kanan dragged the emphasis on the words to stall. "You uh...hm...um..."

He thought back to yesterday. He saw Ezra push that Imperial Agent away to save Zeb, and he opened his Jedi holocron. Clearly, Ezra was very sensitive to The Force if he could pull off such actions with no training. Just stress.

"C'mon Kanan, show me how to do all that levitation stuff" Ezra said eagerly. "Oh, and what about the laser sword? Do I get my own?"

Kanan stopped him right there. That wasn't...um, Jedi talk.

"Look Ezra, training to be a Jedi isn't about having fun" He lectured him. "It's a hard journey. First you have to start with the basics. You have to understand what The Force is before you can hope to reliably wield it"

Ezra nodded. He was listening carefully, but it was up to Kanan to be able to present the teachings correctly. He had to remember what his own Master told him.

"Okay...so The Force..." Kanan began, gesturing with a hand. "Is everything. It's what creates all life, it flows through everyone"

"Really?" Ezra questioned. "Anyone could become a Jedi? I thought it was a picky club kinda thing"

"What? No!" Kanan told him. "No, Ezra. The Force flows through everyone, but only a select few can actually utilise it as an ability. You see, in our blood there are these things called Midichlorians..."

Ezra paid close attention, watching Kanan's face as he went on about how Ezra was unique. But as he talked, Ezra could see another figure enter the room from behind him. Someone who he hasn't been able to get his eyes off of.

Sabine. She went into The Galley and started looking around for food. She had just gotten up, she was dressed in her pyjamas which consisted of a thin shirt and a pair of shorts. She was just stepping about delicately with her naked feet. Ezra hadn't seen her like that in the short while he's known her, but his hormones certainly loved it.

"...they are what connects us to The Force. The more you have in your blood..." Kanan went on, before noticing that Ezra was evidently distracted with his eyes staring off elsewhere and with a dumb smile on his face. "...the more sensitive...you are..."

Kanan turned around to see what Ezra was looking at, and he saw Sabine walking towards them at the table. Now it was clear. He sighed, he didn't need this right now.

"Sabine please stay out when Jedi training is in session" Kanan told her simply.

She gave him a ridiculing look and huffed.

"What? Is that a rule now?" She wondered. "I'm not allowed to get breakfast anymore? Huh. I'll just be a second"

She recognised the box of cereal and picked it up, but was displeased to feel the lack of content inside. She saw Ezra had poured the remaining flakes for himself.

 _"What? I was looking forward to having those!"_ She thought, annoyed.

"Ugh! Those flakes are supposed to be for me!" She complained, putting the box down and standing over him like a cross mom telling off her children. "Listen here, kid. The wheat-er-flakes are mine. You've only been here a couple days and you're already ransacking our galley!"

Ezra felt genuinely guilty. He went red. He pushed the bowl of cereal to her.

"Oh boy, I'm sorry" He apologised. "H-here! You can have what's left"

She huffed as she took the bowl and got a new spoon. Meanwhile Kanan wanted to groan loudly at the teenage drama he found himself in. It was trouble enough getting engaged in Jedi Training, now Sabine was just barging in and being a nuisance.

"Half a bowl. Wonderful" She muttered as she started walking out. "Tell Hera we need more flakes, Kanan!"

"You tell her!" He yelled, then lowering his voice. "You...B-word..."

"I heard that!"

"Yeah well report me to The Empire!" He called out, and getting the last shout.

Kanan sighed. That was annoying. Though it wasn't just Sabine's fault, Ezra had been completely distracted. When being trained as a Youngling, Kanan had always been told of the life and luxuries he'd never have. As a Padawan, he had "the talk". Looked like he needed to do the same to Ezra, right off the bat.

"Alright Ezra, there's a certain detail I gotta tell you about" He began.

Ezra was still a little shaken up on talking to and annoying Sabine. He suddenly seemed more focussed on that than the actual Jedi training. But regardless he nodded at Kanan, after a moment.

"Yes, Kanan?"

"As a Jedi, it's very vital that you give your full concentration" Kanan began to teach him some useful information. "Concentration is everything. Everything involving The Force requires your full input. Your training especially. You need to learn to separate yourself from distractions"

Ezra was sure that Kanan was referring to Sabine when he talked about distractions.

"Sorry Kanan, it won't happen again" Ezra assured him uneasily.

"But it will, Ezra. Because there's not a Jedi alive who was brought up perfectly" Kanan continued sternly...then softening. "Sabine is pretty, I'm sure. You've made it quite clear to her that you certainly think so"

Ezra rubbed the back of his hand. Gee, was it that obvious? Well, it's not like he got to talk to girls much. Too busy trying to survive on Lothal.

"But you can't let it interfere with training"

The Jedi sucked, for sure. No love. No marriage. No sex. No children. The list could go on, really. Certainly not what you want to hear when going through puberty.

"Okay. I understand" Ezra nodded again. "Just...can we ban her from walking around like that?"

Kanan chuckled. He imagined, if he replaced Sabine with Hera, he would be in a similar scenario.

"Yes. We certainly can"

* * *

About an hour later, Kanan and Ezra finished their first session. A detailed lecture on what The Force is. It went all right, for Kanan's first attempt as a Master. Soon, Kanan would have Ezra start training his ability to feel The Force. He already had a few ideas, and a crazy one involving being on the hull of the ship while in flight to give some scary incentive to Ezra, but they could get this done.

 _"It's not gonna be easy, though"_ Kanan thought. _"I'm thinking I bit off more than I can chew"_

When they entered the lounge, Zeb was playing a game of Dejarik with Sabine, who was now dressed in her armour. It appeared that the Mandalorian was having the advantage. Though Zeb didn't realise it.

"Yeah, did Empire school teach you that?" The Lasat teased her as she made a move. "Or did you come up with that rubbish strategy on your own?"

"Careful Zeb, you're still recovering from the beating that Agent gave you" Sabine teased back, before turning her head to look at the teacher and student departing from class. "Looks like class is finished. Hey kid, sorry about earlier. I just really like those flakes, that's all"

Sabine smiled sweetly at him. High in fibre. Good for the body. And the mind. Maybe that helped her outsmart Zeb in this critical-thinking game. All Zeb ate was waffles.

"Sabine, it's in the best interests of the safety of everyone that we limit the zones you can wear your pyjamas. To your cabin, and your cabin only"

Kanan said that with such a smug look. Sabine looked at him confused. Then at Zeb. Then back at Kanan. She raised an arm and tilted her head.

"What?" She said simply.

"It's just a precaution. You serve as a dangerous distraction to Ezra when he can see right up your legs"

Sabine went red, and so did Ezra. Kanan laughed as he left the room. Zeb was still focussed hard on the game, probably didn't even hear him.

"Ugh, what a pervert" Sabine muttered to herself, in a private manner but intentionally loud enough for Ezra to hear. She wanted him to know how she felt about Kanan's joke.

Ezra, feeling quite uncomfortable, decided it would be best if he just left. So he left the two more seasoned Rebels to their game. This was certainly a strange environment for him, being under the same roof as all these people after the years he spent alone. He didn't imagine all the...complications that could come with it. When Ezra left, Sabine glanced around to see if he was gone.

"Gee. Zeb, you think you're getting it bad having to share a cabin with him?" Sabine began to gossip. "All I've done is tell him my name. The kid barely knows me yet he wants to marry me already."

That was an exaggeration. Still, she didn't want all this attention.

"I'm sure you'll get used to it" Zeb told her as he made his next move on the game. "Kid will get used to my snoring too"

Sabine chuckled. Yeah, she supposed it could be worse. At least she could sleep at night. She made a final move and convincingly beat Zeb, who was left scratching his head in confusion and comaplaining. But as he did, she was busy thinking elsewhere.

 _"Just don't do anything to encourage him, Sabine"_ She thought. _"Treat him like the others. Be nice, or try to be, but don't tell them your life story"_

Shutting people out, that's something she was good at.

* * *

In the evening, the crew minus Sabine were sitting at the table in The Galley. They were making do with what they had left before they went for a grocery run tomorrow with their hard-earned credits. Ezra was learning the ropes, typically when The Spectres had lunch they just laid out a bunch of stuff on the table, and everyone helped themselves. Zeb seemed to help himself to half the food alone. The big guy worked up an appetite.

"We were paid generously for returning those droids" Kanan said to his companions as he filled his plate. "And don't worry, I've learnt my lesson. Working for Vizago? Not a good idea"

The crimelord turned tail and ran at the first sighting of Imperials, without even giving them a single credit.

"You say that now, but next time we're running low on money..." Hera began.

"I'll improve my bartering skills" Kanan casually assured her. "Right guys, best use everything up before Hera sends us on a grocery run tomorrow"

Ezra reached for the last couple waffles but Zeb from opposite him literally swiped the plate and poured it in front of himself, while still eating. Ezra frowned at him before reaching for potatoes instead. As they ate and quietly conversed, Sabine walked in for her "pick-up".

"Appropriately dressed, Kanan" She informed him as she took a plate and walked to the side of the table, looking down at what was available. "Did you tell Hera we need more wheat-er-flakes?"

"Yes, Sabine. I know" Hera told her with a sigh. "Maybe you should handle the shopping tomorrow for us if you're so concerned on what we get"

Sabine shrugged, she wouldn't mind. She took the last steak before Ezra could reach for it, as well as a few vegetables. Ezra was a little nervous for her to sit down, the only free space was beside him. That moment did not come to pass however, for once Sabine was done taking what she wanted, she just left The Galley to eat elsewhere. Ezra actually felt a bit...hurt.

"Huh, she really doesn't like me" Ezra said miserably, elbow on the table and he picked apart his food.

"Ah, don't worry about it" Kanan said, dismissively gesturing with his hand. "Sabine never sits with us, anyways"

Oh. Ezra thought she just went off because she really didn't want to sit next to him. That was...somewhat reassuring.

"Really?" Ezra asked, curiosly. Sabine had said to him not long ago that they were like a family, people typically socialise with their family during dinner.

"Sabine is...hmm..." Hera tried to explain. "She keeps to herself a lot. In the year since we picked her up, I've learned not to pry"

The Mandalorian offered some basic background. Namely being a former Imperial cadet. Not much beyond that, though. Seemed she had a lot she didn't like discussing.

"She told me that "The Empire" happened to her parents" Ezra told them. "Is there something more to that?"

As Zeb continued to eat, Kanan and Hera exchanged blank glances. It seemed they knew as much as Ezra in this regard. Like him, they could assume the worst. And like with Ezra's parents, they didn't want to pry much into that topic.

"She's good at shutting people out, we don't know much either" Kanan said. "You can always try your luck on her, Ezra"

Kanan chuckled. He didn't expect Ezra to actually take him up on that challenge. But when Ezra got bored enough, he saw him stand up and make his way out. Kanan had to admire Ezra's caring nature, at least. He could tell he was a good kid.

"Remember Ezra...no distractions" He reminded his pupil. "More training tomorrow morning"

Ezra nodded, and then left them.

* * *

Sabine looked at the dimming fields of Lothal grass from inside the lower turret section of the ship. Her own personal section. She was sat down and chewing into some steak, her helmet hung from the hook she installed on the seat. Her chewing stopped when she heard footsteps behind her. The kid. She had acquired the skill of telling who people were just on the sounds of their footsteps. It's something you develop when you don't feel like being social.

 _"My names Ezra, what's yours?"_ She remembered those first dumb words to her when she removed her helmet in front of him here a few days back. He was awestruck by her beauty.

"Hey Sabine" He greeted friendlily as he walked to the side of her seat.

She swallowed and sighed.

"Hello Ezra" She said his name like she was already tired of him. "What do you want?"

"I have to want something?" He asked. "Maybe I just wanna talk, get to know you"

Oh boy. How often had she heard those words. Why couldn't people be satisfied with her presence and communication during a mission? They all had to get right up her butt.

Very well, she could grant him his wish. She put down her plate.

"Alright" She agreed, shuffling in her seat to face him. "Since you're gonna be staying here, you might as well learn a few things about Sabine Wren"

She held a fist in front of him, counting her points on her fingers.

"First, she doesn't like rules. Second, she likes to blow stuff up. Third, she doesn't like it when people interrupt her eating time"

She was certainly giving the "tough girl" impression. Ezra would've expected nothing less from a Mandalorian. Actually, that was a good ice-breaker. Ezra made himself take interest in her helmet, and held it up, inspecting it.

"So...Mandalorian, huh?" He remarked. "I have a whole collection of helmets. Never got one of these"

Sabine frowned at him, then reached out to reclaim her precious helmet, basically snatching it from him. She looked over it, as if Ezra could've done damage just by briefly touching it.

"Are you a real Mandalorian?" Ezra asked her. "Or do you just use the armour?"

She showed a brief amount of restraint, like she had to stop herself from just smacking him or something. Ezra immediately regretted asking, but he was just curious. When he thought of Mandalorians, he didn't think of some punk but pretty girl who clearly makes an effort to make herself look good in the morning.

Sabine thought of a better way to validate herself.

"Aliit ori'shya tal'din" She told him.

He looked at her blankly.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes.

"Ani chakaaryc adi'ka" She murmured under her breath. "Nothing. Look kid, you've been here a few days now. Do you not have parents to go back to? They must be real concerned"

Ezra shuffled uncomfortably. Gee, he just had a familiar conversation like this with Hera on the first day he met this lot. He figured she might've told the rest of the crew. Maybe she did, and Sabine was typically not there to listen.

"Ah, well..." He began hesitantly. "My parents are...gone. Been on my own for years now"

Sabine suddenly softened up her expression. For some reason, she never considered that possibility. Come to think of it, she DID ask him about his parents a few days back but they never got to start that conversation. She felt annoyed at herself.

"Oh..." She rubbed her arm. "I see. Sorry"

"It's alright" He told her. "I'll just...leave you alone, sorry for disturbing you"

Ezra believed he had overstayed his welcome, and didn't have much success having a productive talk with her. She nearly said nothing as he was making his way out, but something made her speak up.

"Hey, Ezra!" She called out. "To let you know, about that pervert thing earlier? Don't worry about it. I know Kanan was just getting back at me for this morning"

He nodded with a smile, and then he was gone. Sabine just...sat there for a bit. Thinking over what she said. She looked at her plate, but didn't feel hungry anymore. She certainly felt like a bitch, though.

"Ah, Sabine..." She rubbed her face in frustration. "Think about yourself so much, you forget about others"

What made her feel particularly guilty...is that she knew how Ezra felt. Having no parents. She casually brought up the topic of his family with him, yet she knew that if she was in that position...

 _"I never want to talk, or even think about them"_ She thought.

She was lucky he was so cool about it...she wouldn't have been. She almost hit him just for questioning her about her Mandalorian heritage.

 _"It was a...reasonable question"_ She told herself. _"Lots of false Mandos out there, nowadays..."_

Actually...maybe he was right to ask. Sabine doubted if she would consider herself a true Mandalorian...she had no clan to stand with anymore, no one would ever dare to associate themselves with her. She could thank herself for that...the things she did for The Empire...she disgraced herself...she wish she never built that-

She stopped. No. She couldn't think about it. She thought about it enough already. And this wasn't supposed to be about her, she was thinking about Ezra. Good kid. She should cut him some slack. He was the latest addition to The Spectres, just as she had been a year ago.

 _"Spectre Six"_ She thought.

She could get used to having him around.


	2. Venting

**_Season 3, right after Trials Of The Darksaber_**

Sabine looked down. She could see Fenn Rau, Kanan and Ezra kneeling before her. They pledged themselves to her, and her cause. She supposed...it was as official as it was going to get. She was going to have to go home. She was going to have to face them. It always hurt to think about that possibility, but she felt a spike of pain in her heart when she knew she was definitely going back now, once she was ready. It wasn't a possibility now, it was a certainty.

But she had to do it. For them.

"Okay..." She whispered, swallowing her anxiety. "I'll go. I'll go back"

Sabine wanted them all to stand up, now. She didn't like being bowed before. Though, if they wanted her to lead her people...she may have to get used to it.

 _"Sabine, are you crazy?"_ She thought. _"Who would ever bend the knee for you? They're only doing it because they don't know the whole truth. They don't understand..."_

None of them did. Not even Fenn Rau and he was Mandalorian. Oh, what was she THINKING!? No, there's no way this could work! She was Dar'manda, she was a disgrace and all her people hate her...even her family wants nothing to do with her! And worst of all, she couldn't blame them. Even she knew it.

"Hey, it's alright" Kanan comforted her, standing up and touching her arm. "We still have a lot of training to do before you can go back"

Ezra stood up. He saw Sabine standing with the Darksaber loosely in her hands and her eyes on the ground. She was sad. Very sad. That emotional outburst was unlike anything Ezra saw from her. All those years of being distant and those repressing feelings...he saw before his eyes what happened when they all just exploded out of her. Ezra thought he learned more about her in the last ten minutes than all the years he knew her combined.

"And when you're ready..." Rau began, now rising. "You can unite Mandalore with that symbol in your hands"

Sabine wanted to believe them. She nodded, but she couldn't truly get behind those words. Rau placed his hand on her shoulder, she looked in his eyes. He knew what was bothering, as a fellow Mandalorian.

"You aren't Dar'manda, Sabine" He assured her. "We all make mistakes"

She shook her head slightly.

"None as big as mine" She croaked.

Fenn Rau was quiet...he wasn't able to respond to that. Sabine gripped The Darksaber firmly. It was going to hurt...but she had come this far. She had to see this through to the end, now.

"...I'm going to do it" She promised firmly, looking at Kanan. "I'll do it for you...and Hera...and The Rebellion"

Kanan nodded. She wasn't ready yet, but when she was? He was certain she'd make him proud. Today had been very productive. Sabine wouldn't be able to do this if she was being distant as she always had been. Getting her to open up was clearly painful for her and it took a lot of pushing, but it was necessary.

"Thank you, Sabine" He said gently. "We've done enough for today. We'll start again tomorrow morning sharp. C'mon, you need to get some rest...its been a long night"

He said that to both Ezra and Sabine, before walking back to camp, taking the practice sticks with him.

"I'll return tomorrow" Fenn Rau said to Sabine. "To offer...moral support. Get familiar with those vambraces, too. Kanan is right when he said you require proper training with the Darksaber, but a Mandalorian should become adept with all their tools"

They'd make a true Mandalorian leader out of her, yet.

Sabine nodded and gave a weak smile. Fenn Rau gave his farewells to Sabine, and patted Ezra's shoulder on his way off, taking his speeder to head back to base. Ezra watched them go, before looking at Sabine. She just started wandering off aimlessly, holding her arms and...quietly crying. His heart sank. He was definitely looking at a side of Sabine that he'd never seen before, or thought he would see. It was a painful thing to see, and he wouldn't forgive himself if he headed back with Kanan now, leaving Sabine to mend herself alone.

"Ah don't do this to me, Sabine..." He said to himself.

He had to follow after her again, as he did a few hours ago. No doubt, she was used to him being concerned over her by now. Maybe now, unlike previous times, she'd be more open to him after being cracked by Kanan.

* * *

Sabine leaned on her side against one of the large trees that grew on Atollon, looking out to the near-barren plain of landscape and sniffing her grief away. It reminded her of Mandalore, a bit. Though her home planet was even more lifeless than this.

"Sabine?" Ezra gently spoke her name as he quietly approached from behind but giving fair amount of space. "I hope you're okay"

Sabine gave a last sniff before glancing at him, but looking back out again. Oh Ezra, always concerned for her. She couldn't even be mad or annoyed at him anymore...and she could use the company right about now, anyways.

"It's just...today reopened a lot of old wounds" She told him quietly. "Maybe you can understand why I never liked to socialise much...why I preferred to keep things buried"

He certainly did. People dealt with grief in different ways. Ezra was often quite talkative or sharing...but Sabine was the opposite. She screwed herself tight, and wouldn't let anyone come close to look. Kanan had to unscrew her tonight, and the contents spilled over them. Ezra would've never been able to guess how much pain she held in from when he knew her for those first couple years. Which...felt like so long ago, now.

"Does it not feel at least a little good to vent...?" He asked with a slight smile.

She looked at him properly. Her face was pained, her eyes were watery and glittered at him. She wanted to go with his attempt to lighten the mood, but she couldn't.

"Oh Ezra...how did a girl like me get to deserve someone like you in their life?" She said weakly, wiping an eye delicately.

He had come a long way from the little loth-rat she saw on Lothal all those years back.

"A girl like you?" He questioned.

She absorbed that question for a moment. She thought about what exactly the kind of girl she was, taking a step back and analysing her life. And when she did, her lips trembled. She tried to swallow it up, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Instead, when she looked at him again, tears gently rolled down. She was losing herself all over again.

"You told me before that at least I had parents to go back to..." She reminded him. "Your parents are gone, but at least they loved you, and would have stood by you no matter what. I shattered my own family, they would see me dead just like all the other clans I helped oppress..."

She looked down at the insignia of Clan Wren on her left shoulder. It hurt to look at. She disgraced what it meant. She didn't deserve to carry their mark. She didn't deserve their name.

"You didn't mean to, though" Ezra told her with gesturing hands, slowly getting closer as she grew more upset. "You're a good person, Sabine. Surely, they would-"

"No Ezra! No!" She interrupted him, her hands shaking. "The damage has been done, I can't change that! Ugh! I shouldn't have accepted this!"

She angrily threw the Darksaber down on the floor, Ezra stepping back. Sabine should just tell Kanan that she didn't want this, that she wanted to forget everything! She tensed up, wanting to hit something. Then calmed herself, getting angry wasn't helping anyone. Ezra was trying to help her...and she didn't want to push him away like she did every other time.

"If you'd only seen it, Ezra..." She said, closing her eyes. "What I caused..."

 _"The genius of Sabine Wren..."_ She remembered how The Empire described it, as if knowingly shaming her in front of her own people. _"Clan Wren's contribution to Imperial rule..."_

She opened her eyes, and saw Ezra close to her side. He touched her arm gently...she didn't mind.

"None of it is your fault" He wanted her to realise. "You don't blame the tool or the person who created it, you blame the person who uses that tool"

"It was impossible for anyone to speak for me, Ezra..." She whispered. "Who would speak for me when MY weapon created such misery for all Mandalorians...? Not even my family would do it...and if you all understood, how could you?"

She didn't know how many perished at the potency of her weapon. Hundreds...THOUSANDS!?

"Why should I have a family when I tore so many apart?" She began to cry steadily again. "Why do I get to have all of you when I took so many people away from others!?"

He reached out and took her left hand in his right. He brought both of her hands together comfortingly, and she nodded, sucking it in. She didn't want to blubber all over him.

"I'm sorry, it just hurts to think about"

"You don't need to apologise for anything, Sabine" He assured her.

He could only imagine how much it hurt to know you were an outcast even to your own family. She was right, his parents may be dead...but at least he knew they loved him.

 _"You need to stop, Sabine"_ She told herself. _"He's trying to help you"_

Sabine's hands were held as she slowly but surely collected herself, and pieced herself back together. When she was done, her face was a bit wet and her fingers shook a little, but she was mostly alright. This was quite an impactful story to tell, one she rather she didn't have to. She should've never went with Kanan after Maul. She wouldn't have found The Darksaber. This wouldn't have had to happen.

"Thank you" She said to him softly. "As you said, it...feels good to vent"

"It does, doesn't it?" He smiled.

They both shared a light chuckle. When he felt she was okay again, he let go of her hands. But then he noticed, she didn't let go of him. Their hands were still together.

"I'm sorry if I've felt I've been ungrateful, or if I'm just plain annoying to deal with" Sabine said. "You've...matured a lot, Ezra. Sometimes I think I still treat you like you're that little kid on Lothal"

He went back to gripping her hands. He thought Sabine was just fine.

"You've matured no less than I have, Sabine" He told her.

Today was a great development for her. He just held her hands for a while, the shaking in her fingers was starting to lessen. But her face, that was getting closer. His heart skipped a beat when he realised. Woah, was she...?

"S-Sabine?"

"Hm"

They just stared at each other, getting closer by the inches. Sabine was the first to close her eyes and prepare her lips, standing up on her toes to move her mouth closer to his. Ezra then prepared himself for the embrace too, and could feel them getting closer...and closer...

"Hey" A voice called out to them.

They both shot their eyes open and looked to where it came from. Kanan was standing a distance from them.

"C'mon, we need to rest for tomorrow" He told both his students, stepping aside and gesturing to the direction of their camp.

He couldn't see them in their moment, but he could feel their presence. They both stood there silently, hands still together. Sabine looked at Ezra, her face slightly red. She then released herself from him and starting heading back without a word, taking the Darksaber with her. Ezra just watched her go, and soon he was alone with Kanan.

* * *

When Sabine was out of sight, Ezra looked to his master. He could feel through The Force that Kanan carried some doubts, a feeling that Ezra hadn't felt from him in a long while, not since in the early days when he taught him the ways of a Jedi. Possibly about what he had done with Sabine today, perhaps he wasn't comfortable. He had taken another student, one that was very different from Ezra and required a whole new method of training. Whereas Ezra was trained to overcome his feelings, Sabine was made to channel them.

Thus, reigniting some reluctance in Kanan.

"She's had a tough day" Kanan told his apprentice.

Ezra agreed. He nodded and sighed.

"Yeah, she has"

"Do you...think I was too hard on her?" His master asked sincerely.

"Nothing easy about training with you" Ezra hoped Kanan realised.

The Jedi chuckled. He supposed Ezra knew that better than anybody. They stood without a word for a moment, before Kanan spoke up.

"It's only going to get harder" He said. "There's still a lot to go through, many lessons and techniques to teach. But at least Sabine knows what she's fighting for, what she's working towards. We know now, too"

Redemption. Atoning. Rebuilding.

"Did you ever suspect that...she could be so distraught?" Ezra asked.

Today was all one big bombshell for him. For Kanan too.

"I always knew she was holding something back from the day I first met her" Kanan said. "However, something like this? No. But to come out with it, even if it took a lot of effort, is only going to make her stronger"

Better that than letting it eat her up inside, as it did for years. Now she has the opportunity to make something of all this.

"Do you think you can help me teach her, Ezra?" Kanan asked his apprentice. "To truly teach her?"

Ezra assumed that meant to do more than simple stick-practice. But he believed he could.

"Yes, master" He said.

Kanan nodded. He gestured to camp again. Ezra and Kanan then made their way back in silence. They reached it, an arrangement of cargo boxes and heating devices with a few sleeping bags with tents. Sabine was just sat down by one of the heaters, warming her hands. She gave a brief, sad look at Ezra when the Jedi approached.

"You did good today" Kanan complimented. "I'm proud of you, both of you"

Ezra sat on the opposite side to Sabine, and Kanan began to mediate a little distance from them, out of the light from the glowing heater. Sabine didn't think she could even bare to look at Ezra, so once her hands were briefly warmed, she crawled into her tent. Ezra understood. Sabine could use the sleep anyways.

And so could he. It's been a long night. It wasn't long after Sabine that Ezra got in his own tent, leaving Kanan to meditate in peace outside.

* * *

Hours later, Sabine was squirming in her sleeping bag. She had turned over countless times now, but she couldn't find a comfortable position tonight. Other nights were fine, but today was particularly restless for her. When she had enough twisting about and trying to sleep, she crawled out of her tent. The heater was still on, and it was still dark. She didn't seem him at first, but she noticed that Kanan was still meditating in silence. He had not moved an inch.

 _"Hera wasn't kidding, he really can do that for a long time"_ She thought.

Sabine needed to stretch her legs, and some fresh air against her face. She quietly walked off away from camp and towards the empty plains. Kanan frowned. He knew she had walked off, but he had no intention of doing anything about it. Sabine was why they were out here, and if she felt she needed to take a walk...then he wouldn't stop her.

Sabine held her arms as she took a walk. She thought about everything that happened today, with a clear head. She never felt so...exposed before. And...Manda, she tried to kiss Ezra tonight.

 _"It was just...happening"_ She thought.

And now she didn't want to even look at him. She was embarrassed, Ezra was the same kid that made horrible flirts with her back in the day. Sabine never responded to him that way before.

Though, like she herself said, he had grown up.

But she had to think about a more pressing matter, about the responsibilities set before her. Meeting her family again was inevitable if she continued on this path...she didn't want to go down such a route. She said she'd do it because she wanted to not disappoint Kanan and Hera, but when she thought about her past on Mandalore...

"This will never work" She told herself. "Too much has happened to go back now"

She didn't want to see her old family. She had new family, family she would never hurt...and they would never abandon her. Why go back and reopen old wounds?

 _"Mother, Father, Tristan..."_ She thought about them. _"They'll never take me back, they'll never accept me"_

Not even if she held the Darksaber. She looked at the weapon. A great Mandalorian of Tarre Vizsla carried this blade, she wasn't worthy of it. All this training was pointless if the weapon would mean nothing if held by a Dar'manda.

"That's what you are..." She told herself. "A Dar'manda"

She leaned against a large rock. She breathed deeply. She decided, then. When she got back, she was going to have a quiet conversation with Kanan and tell him that she didn't want to continue. It was too much pressure for her. She would hate to disappoint him, but she would hate to meet her family even more.

Pick her poison, basically. She could give the Darksaber to Fenn Rau, if he wanted it. He'd probably be a better leader than her, anyways. The Protectors were loyal to the throne. Sabine however...well, it didn't matter what she felt she owed loyalty to. Everyone will see her as a traitor anyways. She had no place among them anymore.

She was about to get going, but she suddenly felt a shifting in the rocks she leaned against. She immediately assumed it was toppling down on her and she ran to avoid what felt like an incoming boulder. Maybe a bit of The Force deciding that her time had come to an end for her crimes.

"Well, a new face comes before me?" She heard a deep, bellowing voice.

She stopped running. Where did that come from? She turned around, and gasped at the sight of an enormous creature before her. It looked down at her with its large eyes, but she could make out a smile on the strange, huge face.

"W-what is this!?" She called out, confused.

The beast let out an intimidating chuckle. But there was nothing to be afraid of.

"Why, I'm the Bendu!" It told her. "We've met already. You don't seem to like me"

The Bendu recalled this little lady kicking him several times before storming off earlier.

"W...what are you?" She asked clearly, looking at the entity in shock.

"Hmm" The Bendu studied her, felt her connection and place in The Force. "In a way you'd understand? I'm the balance between the varying forces of life"

She didn't understand what that meant. But The Bendu didn't expect her to. She was a non-believer, unaware of the nature of The Force. Not like Kanan Jarrus who often comes by to visit.

"I dunno what drugs I got spiked with to see this..." Sabine said as she started backing away. "But this is too much"

She came out for a quiet stroll...not whatever this is. Wait, was this a dream? Maybe she did get to sleep after all. If that's true then...she may as well humour this scenario. A construction of her own imagination would surely agree with her that it was best not to go back home.

"I could not help but sense and overhear you" The creature told her. "It seems you are filled with self-doubt, it is consuming you. Why is this, do you think?"

She raised an eyebrow. This...thing seemed to know just how she felt. Fascinated by her. But just because they knew how she felt, didn't mean they'd know why.

"You would never understand" She said bitterly. "No one else does"

It's true that Bendu didn't know the circumstances that brought upon this conflict in this girl, but he did know people. People, beings who are apart of The Force. They were all remarkably alike, more so than they themselves might think.

"No one does, because they are ignorant, unwilling to listen?" He supposed. "Or because you've shut them out? Unwilling to let them listen?"

His words really got into Sabine, there. Knowing herself...it was probably the latter. Her eyes trailed to the floor, sadly.

"Hmmm" Bendu hummed.

She rubbed her arms.

"I...I just never liked talking about these things!" She told the creature. "It makes me miserable, it only brings me pain!"

She saw no incentive to sharing her troubled past. Better to move on and forget than to retrace old steps. Not that it matters now, Kanan pretty much pushed all her buttons and made her blurt it out on her own.

So now they all knew what a pathetic person she was.

"Pain is an aspect of life that one will never avoid forever" Bendu told her. "And even when it does arise, it can lead to a path that grants peace"

Sabine supposed that "the path" in this case, was to follow her pain of her family. And that peace, would be to make amends with them.

"But I know it won't work out like I hope, like how others hope!" She continued to resist.

She shook her head. No, this isn't a fairy tale. This was real life. Things like this just don't...resolve.

"A choice has been laid before you" The wise creature said. "One path will result in definite, inconclusive pain. The other, also pain...but a spark of hope"

She wanted to protest again as she spent so much of today doing. But she understood what he meant. If she decided to drop this commitment and never make contact with her family again...then nothing would change. How she remembers it, will be how it will always be.

But...if she chose to take that chance, to try and unite her people after once helping to tear them apart? She could regain her honour, she could fix her mistakes. And punish those who brought this down on her, and all of Clan Wren.

"I could redeem myself" She whispered.

She closed her eyes. She nodded. She understood the choices laid before her. Sabine looked at the Darksaber again, tightly gripping the handle. This...was the key to helping her people. She helped put them into this big mess, and it was her duty as a Mandalorian to help get them out of it. A true Dar'manda would leave them forever, and Sabine had no intention of being remembered as such. She had to...do something about it!

The Saxons. No doubt they enjoy their new-found power, probably using her creation to enforce their rule. That made her angry. She gave them the means...it was up to her to stop them.

"Manda, they were all right" She said, looking back to the direction of camp and starting to march back. "They were right all along"

The Bendu watched her walk off into the darkness, a fire sparked inside her. He smiled as her figure grew smaller, and then was gone.

Another soul set on a solid path.

* * *

Kanan could feel Sabine's presence nearing as he sat. He knew she would return soon. And he could feel that there was no conflict in her, no struggling feelings. He would have supposed the walk did her good, if it wasn't for the fact that she was absolutely furious.

At herself.

"Sabine" Kanan greeted her as she came by. "Are you-"

She stormed right past him.

"Those Imperials are whose to blame!" She loudly told herself. "They used me! They used me to get at my people! It's all on them!"

And her family didn't know that. Other Mandalorians didn't know that. They all thought she was the traitor. That thought...infuriated her. She KNEW she wasn't Dar'manda, she cared SO MUCH for her people. She never went back, because she was terrified of what she'd have to see, of what might happen. But now that fear was gone. She had to set things straight! She had to make things right again!

Kanan approached from behind and went to gently place his hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged him off and started storming around. She was tensed, ready to just break something. Barely contained anger. Kanan would be concerned if this was Ezra...but alas, it was Sabine.

"And I just ran away like a coward!" She continued to yell. "I ran away when I should've fought for my honour! I'm a Mandalorian, aren't I!?"

Ezra emerged from his tent to see what the commotion was about. He joined Kanan by his side and watched in awe as Sabine vented in yet another way.

"Gar Saxon! He thinks he can control my family? He thinks he can control any one of my people!? My mother, my father, my brother!?"

Her arm extended out, and she ignited the Darksaber. With a yell, she swung at a few crates that were stacked around, then kicked them over. Ezra stepped forward to stop her, but was held back by Kanan.

She needed the venting.

"I'll kill them all!"

She didn't stop at the crates. She chopped at the tents too, stomping through the remains. Sparks were thrown everything as she cut everything she saw, uncaring that she was destroying the camp. She looked at the heating device and didn't hesitate as she sliced through it, then gave a harsh kick to it. The liquid contents spilled over the chopped material. The sparks from her rampage ignited the flammable liquid. A fire quickly swept around her.

Ezra was awestruck, Kanan kept a straight face.

When she ran out of things to destroy, she dropped the blade and marched in a circle. She had little else to subject to her rage, so she screamed at the top of her lungs into the air. A long, chilling scream.

When that was over, she was suddenly out of energy. So she fell to her knees and burst into tears, full on sobbing. She was getting every ounce of rage out of her system...rage that she bottled up for years, that's why Kanan was okay with this.

Her crouched figure was dramatically in front of a raging, bright fire. Ezra wanted to intervene badly, this was even worse than before...he wanted to comfort her as he did before.

"Let her vent" Kanan told his apprentice firmly, holding him back again. "She needs this"

Ezra looked at his master hopelessly, then at Sabine. But he soon gave up, and stood sternly at Kanan's side. But he never removed his eyes from Sabine.

In the night, the bright fire was like a beacon. Two figures watching it, and one right by it.

Sabine's loud cries filled the air.


	3. Family

**_Season 4, after 'Heroes Of Mandalore'. In continuity with 'Venting'._**

* * *

Ezra and Kanan stood beside each other as they watched the Mandalorians quietly converse with one another, soon after they had acknowledged their new leader and the Darksaber had been passed down. Bo-Katan was giving out commands to the Clan leaders...she was wasting no time in her position as their leader, just by watching her they could see that she was no stranger to this role. Confident, inspiring, demanded respect. Perfect for the Mandalorians, really.

"I think she'll do an admirable job" Fenn Rau believed, standing with The Jedi. "This isn't quite how I imagined events would turn out, but this opens the path forward regardless"

"How did you believe things would go?" Kanan asked curiously.

"I thought Sabine would take the responsibility" Rau told him. "That's why we trained her, it's what she believed she was in for. But the more I think about all this, perhaps it was wise for her to pass the Darksaber on to Bo-Katan"

Ezra looked at Fenn Rau, and gave a slight frown.

"You don't think she could handle it?" He asked, almost accusingly.

From what Ezra saw today, Sabine was a very capable leader. She faced her demons and pushed on regardless, she confronted mistakes...and owned up to them. Honesty, strength, compassion...she showed all these things today. Ezra believed she was a leader worth following.

"I think Sabine is more capable than she herself believes to be" Rau said. "But things are...fresh, right now. There are some who believe Sabine has not yet fully atoned for her mistakes, that she should be punished...I assure you this is only a minority, however"

But a minority could be all the difference. Mandalore was free from The Saxons, but The Empire was sure to act in response to the destruction of their puppets. In order to defend their home, all the clans had to be united under one leader. There was too much controversy surrounding Sabine for her to be that leader.

And it didn't seem like Sabine wanted the responsibility, anyways.

"This isn't Sabine's time" Rau continued. "But...I have no doubt that there will be a place for her in the future"

She had potential. Great potential. Bo-Katan saw it in her too.

Speaking of Bo-Katan, the Mandalorian leader approached them when she was done addressing the clan leaders, helmet under her arm and looking stern as usual.

"This isn't the first time I've fought alongside a Jedi" She told Kanan. "The first time actually proved to be a mistake which Mandalore still suffers for now, but at least I can say that today wasn't a dark chapter in Mandalorian history"

She shook hands with Ezra, then looked at Fenn Rau.

"And in time, The Protectors will rise again" She promised Rau. "And when Mandalore is truly free, you'll protect the throne once more"

"Would that be you, my lady?" Rau asked.

Bo-Katan looked down at the Darksaber in her hands, her grip tightened on the hilt, then relaxed. She looked back up at them.

"I would consider myself a leader of war...it's all I've ever known" She said to them, expression softened. "But one day, Mandalore will need someone else, someone who knows when the sword is not the best course of action...something we Mandalorians typically don't understand. I believe I met that person, today"

The look she gave Rau...he could see it in her eyes. He smiled at her, she smiled back, and they nodded together. Something told them that this wouldn't be the last time that Sabine would be wielding the Darksaber.

"All we have to do is defeat The Empire" Rau said.

As the adults discussed politics, Ezra looked at the Mandalorians. At Sabine's people. He saw The Wrens gathered, talking to each other. It didn't look like a typical discussion one would expect of Mandalorians, however...it just looked like they were being a family. Tristan was listening to his parents, his father being compassionate whereas his mother stood firmly. They all had smiles, though. This was the first time in years where they had all seen each other, together. They were making up for lost time.

But Sabine wasn't among them. It was just the three.

"Where's Sabine?" Ezra whispered to Kanan. "Shouldn't she be right here, with her family?"

"Have a guess" Kanan said, nodding to Bo-Katan's dropship, who kindly decided to leave it to them for when they waned to leave Mandalore.

Ezra sighed. He should've figured as much. But this was her opportunity to interact with the people and family she was so previously terrified of, not as a warrior or leader...but just as family. She didn't have to be scared anymore.

"I'll talk to her" Ezra volunteered, leaving the two men as he walked onto the dropship.

This was certainly a familiar scenario. There was many a time where he would grant Sabine's wish to be left alone, but this wouldn't be one of them.

* * *

Sabine was sitting in the troop-transport, her hands were together and her eyes were closed. She was deep in thought, trying to process everything that had happened. About how she felt, or was supposed to feel. But there was one thing she wasn't keen on, and that was stepping out the ship and...seeing all her people, seeing her family.

She just felt nervous. She didn't know what to expect. She didn't know what she wanted.

Sabine opened her eyes, and saw Ezra just in the corner of her vision. His presence was something she got very used to in these little periods where she wanted to be alone. Previously she found them annoying, she would often tell him to go away and give her peace. Now she didn't mind...sometimes she even hoped he'd show up, hoped he notice that something was perhaps wrong. How could she be angry at him for caring?

She was silent as Ezra sat down next to her. They just...didn't say anything for a while. But she did enjoy his company regardless.

"Why aren't you outside, with your people?" He asked gently. "With your family?"

Sabine didn't change her posture or look at him. She remained deep in thought. Why wasn't she outside? She had many things holding her back. She was worried about what they thought of her, about if they would accept her after being shunned for so long. She may have destroyed The Saxons and the weapon she built for them, but there was clearly some wounds between her and them. The past couldn't be so easily forgiven, and it was even harder for it to be forgotten.

"I don't know...are they my people, anymore?" She wondered, sighing. "Are they my family?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" He questioned. "You've been back for months already, haven't you?"

"Because they needed me...because I had the Darksaber, and I knew more about The Empire than anyone." She told him. "It...it never felt like family, Ezra. It felt like I was a guest more than anything."

"But you aren't their guest, you're family. You're the daughter of Countess Wren."

Sabine glanced at him.

"Aliit ori'shya tal'din." She reminded him of the familiar phrase. "You've heard me say that before? What it basically means, is that our blood isn't significant, that we must choose our true family for ourselves."

It's why adoption was so common among Mandalorians...as well as disownment. Ezra blinked, and continued to give her his attention.

"We may have destroyed my weapon, but there's a lot of blood on my hands, Ezra." She continued him. "The Duchess was used to force the clans into submission, a lot of people have died to its power."

 _"To...my power..."_ She thought.

It was almost like her brother and mother being lucky enough to survive was not a blessing, but a great convenience. All the people she had a hand in killing, and yet her own blood survived? So many people suffered because of what she created, and yet she got out for free. Members of her clan died painfully to The Duchess today, what did that say about her position within her own clan? Her image was getting hit hard.

And Ursa couldn't be biased towards her daughter just because they shared blood.

"So you're afraid they'll reject you." He assumed.

"I...I don't know...my mom needed me before due to my involvement with The Empire, but now?" She hopelessly said. "I don't think she would would disown me...maybe? It's been years, Ezra...its been so many years..."

Was she the daughter Ursa knew, anymore?

Sabine came home with The Darksaber, now she had passed it on to someone more suitable. She tied up loose ends regarding The Duchess, so that it would stop killing her own people. When the smoke clears...would they truly want her back? Could she ever really be accepted, to be equal among them? Or is she more trouble than she's worth? Was she too far gone?

"Yes, it has." Ezra agreed, putting his hand on her shoulder. "And I'll bet your family missed you, a lot."

Sabine turned her head to look at him. He was giving her a warm smile. The way Ezra must've saw it, Sabine had everything that Ezra lost. He didn't have parents anymore, but Sabine had hers. She shouldn't waste her chance to reconnect to them, not as a reluctant leader or a war criminal, but as their daughter. Because he was sure that, above all, that's what she was to them.

It was touching.

"Yeah...I missed them too..." She nodded. "But I caused my clan so much trouble..."

"You came home to make things right." He reminded her. "Are you going to keep making things right?"

Sabine's work wasn't over. Ezra knew that for sure. He got closer to her, and lowered his voice.

"I heard Rau and Bo-Katan talking..." They began to tell her. "They both really believe in you, Sabine. They think that you've proven and redeemed yourself. I know you hated it...but I think you're gonna have to use that black lightsaber again, someday."

It was her turn to blink. Almost in disbelief. She knew that Fenn Rau was a major fanboy to make her a leader, but Bo-Katan too? Not too long ago she almost slit her throat, and now she was low-key supporting her as Mand'alor?

How could anyone possibly think she was worthy, after all she did?

"I...I see" She said, turning away from him and downloading this piece of information.

If the leader of the Mandalorians saw that much in her...then perhaps she really hasn't lost her Mando'ade soul, after all.

"Heh...Sabine The Mand'alor..." She spoke the title, shaking her head.

"Mand'alor The Redeemed." Ezra gave a more fitting, hypothetical name for her.

Sabine gave him a small smile and nudged his arm. That was so stupid. She never wanted to see the Darksaber ever again.

But...responsibility rarely is a requirement one takes in a moment of choosing.

"How many times have we done this, Ezra?" She asked with a sigh. "I get sad, I go off to be alone, and you follow me to make sure I'm alright..."

He shrugged and gave her a big, dumb look.

"Hey, I'm a compassionate guy." He told her, leaning back casually and crossing his arms.

Sabine remained in a more sincere tone. He noticed, and it was his turn to sigh. He leaned forward again and returned to a more sympathetic approach to talking with her.

"I just...I just don't like to see you upset, Sabine." He said. "You've been through a lot in past few months. I'm not gonna lie, you've really...uh...come out of your shell. I'm proud of you."

In the first couple years he knew her, he never imagined she'd be capable of all this. Sabine often talked about how Ezra had matured, but it was clear to him that the same could easily be said of her. Kanan wasn't kidding, Sabine really had become a woman. Not a girl, not anymore.

As for being a man...well, he was getting there.

"Thank you, Ezra." She chuckled. "But I don't deserve all the credit"

"Oh?"

"Of course." Sabine said, standing up. "You and Kanan prepared me for this, you put up with me losing my cool, you...allowed me to grow as a person. You supported me the whole time, you pledged yourselves to me...I wouldn't have found that loyalty in anyone else."

Ezra saw her rub her arm a bit. She was flattering him, but it felt good.

"Just...thank you for believing so much in me." She expressed her most sincere gratitude. "I'll never forget it..."

A small red tint appeared over her face as she remembered a certain detail. She chuckled.

"...and I won't forget what we almost had that night, Ezra." She reminded him.

Ezra didn't know what she meant at first, but his eyes briefly widened when he realised. She was referring to the kiss they almost shared. Yeah...that was pretty close. Too bad Kanan came in when he did. They hadn't talked or developed on that since.

Ezra assumed she wanted to forget about it.

"Ah well, I..." He rubbed the back of his hair, awkwardly. "Yeah sorry, I...it was just happening, I wasn't thinking..."

She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.

"You're sorry?" She questioned. "I was the one initialising."

Ezra was a bit lost for words. How could he respond to the fact Sabine admitted she wanted to kiss him? But Sabine spared him the torture of scrambling for words when she shook her head and dismissed him with a wave of her hand.

 _"Time to settle tensions with my family, then..."_ She told herself. _"And...with all my people."_

They had destroyed The Duchess, but many people still suffered to her creation. She still abandoned them to save herself while The Empire oppressed them. Grudges...were still going to be in the air. But she had been scared to face them for years, and she was tired of it. She wanted to settle things.

 _"Even if I don't...even if they all still despise me...then at least I'll know, at least I'll get closure."_

She was nervous. But at the same time, she wanted to see if she could truly amend herself before them.

Sabine walked out the transport area and near the ramp of the ship. Just from listening, she knew they were all still outside. Ezra followed her, and stood by her. Sabine looked at him, and reached out. She held his arms.

"Ezra, if The Mandalorians don't want to take me back..." She began cautiously. "Then The Rebellion will be all I have left."

She hesitated a bit.

"And you." She added, a sad tone in her voice.

Ezra nodded. He patted her hand comfortingly.

"As Kanan said before...we're one family that will stand by you, no matter what."

Sabine smiled at him, feeling empowered. She let go of him and took a deep breath before heading down the ramp.

* * *

Sabine found herself among her people. So many different clans had gathered here, more than she had seen in years. And even though she considered herself to be of them, her body language might've suggested otherwise. She was careful, cautious. She almost hoped she wouldn't be noticed.

 _"Great start, Sabine..."_

She looked around past the crowds, looking for the signature yellow of Clan Wren. Of her family. They had a rather vibrant choice of colour compared to the greys and blues of other clans, so spotting them was easy. Spotting Sabine was even easier, no other Mandalorian here appreciated the uses of hair dye or took their armour paintings to the extreme she did.

 _"Oh boy, I'm just listing the reasons why I don't mix with them..."_

Sabine saw her family. Father, Mother, Tristan. They were just talking, in the typical ways she knew them for. Ursa was standing firmly as she always did, Alrich was the more compassionate parent as he talked to his son. Tristan was nodding and listening to him, the son always wanting to do right by his clan and family.

 _"He's the favourite child, by far."_ She thought miserably.

And she could hardly blame them.

Sabine stopped a distance from them. She found herself just watching, inside she was hoping she'd be noticed. She didn't feel it would be appropriate to just butt in...she wanted to feel welcomed, if she was welcome. Would they want her to stay for good?

It took a moment of anticipation, but her presence surely was realised. Tristan's eyes trailed to her and he turned his head. His parents then followed suit. Soon, all three of them were looking at her. Sabine swore her heart stopped beating, and that she'd just collapse. Seeing them all together, alive and well...it was emotional for her.

But alas, she remained on her feet. She looked back at them, her face making the effort to remain still also. Sabine forced herself to speak to them, she couldn't just stand here dumbfounded. They walked closer to them, specifically to the leader of her clan, the one she should be requesting forgiveness from. Her own mother.

It was time to be more open about her feelings to her family for the first time since setting a foot back on Mandalore.

"Mother...I admit I screwed up." She told her, hand over her heart. "I know I was selfish to attend that academy rather than take my place within the clan. I did terrible things that I can't excuse..."

Sabine didn't realise how lucky she was. If she didn't have the advantage of being Ursa's child, she would've had her name taken from her long ago and her place from the clan forgotten. Dar'manda would've been the only title for such a person, then.

"My very name could become a burden for you, for all of the Wrens." She continued. "I...I would understand if you didn't want me in your presence again, for me to go far away like I did once before. But I ask you..."

She felt a bit silly for doing so, but she went on her knees before The Countess, her eyes on the floor. She didn't want to expect special treatment just for being related by blood, that's wasn't the Mandalorian way. She had to own up and be judged just like any other.

 _"My mistakes aren't any less severe just because I'm the daughter of Countess Wren."_

Sabine was responsible for the deaths of true and loyal clan members, who died very brutally to a weapon she designed. She stained the Wren name, other ruling houses came to despise them for her work with The Empire. She threatened the security of her clan by coming back years later, bringing the Saxons down on them.

All of this was on her.

"...I ask for forgiveness...the Wren name means everything to me. Despite all I did...I never wanted to hurt anyone, especially not our own...I really didn't..."

Sabine held her helmet, and lifted it up to her mother like an offering. If Ursa would take the helmet from her, the most valuable piece of a Mandalorian's beskar, it would mean her Mandalorian heritage would no longer be recognised. She would be Dar'manda.

"...I hope you can see that in me, at least."

Ursa looked down at Sabine, she appeared slightly unsettled at the sight of her daughter kneeling before her. Her eyes glanced at her son and husband, who were watching her silently. As The Countess, it was her decision to make and they would have to stand by it. However she didn't think either of them actually wanted her to cast out Sabine for good. They did truly miss her, even if they couldn't deny or justify her mistakes at the academy.

"Sabine..." She spoke to her daughter, taking her helmet and looking at it. "...you have caused more trouble for this clan than I ever came to expect of you. Thanks to you, we were almost eradicated. We would've gone down in history as traitors..."

Sabine closed her eyes as she listened to her mother shaping up the judgement. Ursa brushed her hand across the bastardised helmet...but she couldn't deny the signature Wren markings on the metal. Sabine kept her heritage to Clan Wren intact all these years, no matter what colour she splattered over her armour.

"Ugh, so messy...so childish..." She shook her head, inspecting the helmet. "But I suppose it's what your father would've wanted."

Alrich stepped closer to his wife and looked at the helmet with her. Before Sabine, it was his own. He never needed armour, being a warrior wasn't his calling. But he was glad that his Beskar'gram found use with his daughter. And he was all the more pleased that she remained in touch with her artistic side. He taught her to see everything as a canvas...why should her own armour be any exception?

Ursa crouched down and became more level with Sabine.

"Despite the mistakes you've made, I cannot deny your commitment to our family." She told her. "When your loyalty came into question, you worked tirelessly to prove us wrong. You have fought hard for us to make things right, to atone. And from where I stand, you have proven to me that you carry the spirit of a Wren...you deserve our name."

She reached out and held her daughter's face, gently making her look at her mother. Sabine's face was still, her expression was tender.

"You are a Wren, Sabine" Ursa assured her, touching her shoulder pauldron where Sabine had painted the Clan Wren insignia. "You're not quite what I hoped for or expected in a daughter, but you have made me a proud mother regardless."

Sabine was handed her helmet back, but barely felt it as it was placed in her hands. She began to feel herself get swelled with joy. She was not Dar'manda, she was a Wren. Sabine dropped her helmet, and swung her arms around her mother, hugging her tightly. Ursa was caught off-guard.

"Thank you, mother!" She expressed her most sincere gratitude. "I'll never hurt our family again, I promise!"

Ursa looked a little helplessly at her son and father, but she only got their smiles instead. She sighed and soon gave a small chuckle, returning Sabine's affection. She wasn't good at hugs, though.

"The Saxons were the ones to hurt our family, and you destroyed them for what they did. You never intended to harm any of us, that is now clear to me." She said to her. "And Clan Wren will therefore continue to be your home, your family."

When Sabine was done squeezing Ursa, they both stood up. Sabine took her helmet in her hands, suddenly feeling a lot more proud of the Wren markings. Her markings.

"Ahah..." Sabine weakly laughed, her face tightening as she pressed her forehead against her helmet and her eyes swelled up. "Thank you..."

Years of feeling abandoned, of feeling unwelcome...it led to this. And it felt overwhelmingly relieving. And she could tell her family was also very happy to have her back.

While Sabine started quietly crying tears of happiness, her parents glanced at Tristan. They smiled at him, and expected him to show his sister some brotherly support. He didn't need much convincing...he missed her.

"It's good to have you back, Sabine." Tristan told her, giving her a hug as she sniffled.

To properly have her back, as family, as his sister. These past few months, his relationship with her felt more like as fellow soldiers than anything. He was hoping that could soon change. There didn't have to be any uneasiness between them, any more.

"Any chance you'll go a little less extreme on the hair dye?" He asked her humorously. "Mother won't like you walking around all day with such bright colours."

He knew Ursa was never a fan of it.

"Paint your armour in our traditional colous." Ursa suggested. "And yes...the hair is silly, Sabine."

What was wrong with her natural brown?

As Alrich made his case as to why he thought Sabine's punk-like appearance was something to embrace, Sabine looked over her brother's shoulder. She saw Ezra in the distance, standing on the ramp of the dropship and watching her union with her family. He was smiling. She smiled back as she wiped her eye.

And she was reminded of how she felt.

"Actually...I'm not staying." Sabine informed them, as she released from her brother and faced them.

They looked at her with surpise. Sabine had just solidified her relationship with them again, and now she wanted to go off anyways?

"Not staying?" Tristan asked, confused. "But...you're welcome back, Sabine!"

"I know, Tristan." Sabine said. "But I have other commitments, I have friends who are counting on me."

Ursa didn't like the sound of that. She'd much preferred that Sabine stayed home, with her family and with her people. It was her place. Much better than being elsewhere, with The Rebellion which Ursa wasn't so confident in. She had thought Sabine would realise this.

"Please don't tell me it's because of that boy..." She said with a sigh, her eyes briefly looking at Ezra.

"Hah...no, mother." Sabine assured her. "I came to you with The Rebellion, and we defeated The Empire here on Mandalore. Now I need to help finish what I started, not just with home...but everywhere else."

"Sabine, your place is here." Ursa tried to tell her. "Your Rebel friends have done us a service, but for you to-"

The Countess was stopped when her husband placed his hand on her shoulder. Ursa looked at him, and received a look that told her to let it go. Sabine, like her, was stubborn. Their daughter was no longer a girl to be protected. She was a woman, and she had made her choice. Ursa let out a sigh, and nodded.

"Then I hope you stay safe." She told her. "And know, Sabine Wren, that you will always have a home with us."

Sabine was given another hug by her brother, and Alrich joined in on the embrace. Sabine was sandwiched in-between her brother and father. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. She missed this feeling.

"If anything ever happens, contact me." Sabine told her family. "I will fight for my home when the time comes."

And she wouldn't forget what Kanan told her regarding lightsaber combat. If what Ezra said earlier was true, she may need to use that knowledge again. Seemed her future and The Darksaber's would be intertwined.

"We will, my daughter." Alrich promised her as they released her. "And please, send a sample of your artwork when you can."

Sabine chuckled.

"I will."

Having felt enough was said, and enough was established, Sabine walked off into the crowds with a wave of goodbye to her family. The three of them watched her go, a smile on each of them.

Ursa's face became troubled the moment Sabine wasn't looking at them. Alrich noticed, and turned to his wife.

"She is not the daughter you once knew." He said. "But she has become so much more, now. More than we ever imagined."

Ursa nodded slowly. She...agreed.

She truly was proud of her.

* * *

Ezra watched as Sabine walked back to him. She had a certain energy in her movement, her face was plastered with happiness. It seemed things went very well. He was only going to take some of the credit...

Truthfully, though. He was glad that Sabine could have what he didn't. It brightened his perspective of things.

"Well, you look pleased..." He said to her as she walked up the ramp to him.

She stopped in front of him, her smile was barely contained. Her face was a little wet from the tears of joy she had. This was the happiest he...had ever seen her. A real polar opposite to what he saw earlier. Today sure had been an emotional roller coaster.

"I got my family back, Ezra." She told him. "You...have no idea how this feels. I feel like-"

She stopped herself and her smile faded.

"I, uh...sorry." She apologised. "I wasn't thinking. That was insensitive of me."

Ezra still remained with a pleased smile, however. He shook his head and assured her it was alright.

"You don't need to be sorry. You don't need to be sorry for anything, anymore."

He gestured to all the Mandalorians that were gathered.

"These are all your people. You don't have to feel ashamed anymore." He continued. "...just don't forget about us too, hey?"

"Actually, Ezra..." She began. "I'm not staying with them. I'm going back with you and Kanan."

Sabine's goal when first coming back to Mandalorian Space was to free her family and get Mandalorian allies for The Rebellion. They succeeded in that goal. Ezra was surprised, though. He figured that Sabine would have a stronger sense of duty here above all else. Especially after making amends with her family.

"...really?" He asked, confused. "I...but your family?"

"They can handle themselves." Sabine told him. "But The Rebellion needs all the help it can get. You didn't really think I'd leave you all in the dust, did you?"

Ezra was trying to be understanding and humble...but he couldn't quite hide his happiness that Sabine wasn't leaving them, even now.

"The fight is not just here, it's everywhere." She went on. "Like Lothal. You helped me free Mandalore from The Saxons...now I want to help you free your home."

She turned her head, and looked back at the Mandalorians.

"My kind have always been a bit...xenophobic." She admitted. "We typically only care for our own. But I'm not like most Mandalorians...I have a duty to my other family."

Her family that was there for her when she had nothing else. To Hera. Kanan. Zeb. Chopper. Ezra. Especially Ezra.

"I'm just glad everything here worked out." She whispered with a smile.

Almost too well. The Duchess destroyed, Saxons dead, her family accepting her again...she had a feeling her ability to sleep would get a whole lot easier from this point.

"Me too." He agreed. "There was nothing to be scared of, Sabine."

Sabine's face maintained the smile, and her eyes trailed to the floor briefly. She gave herself a moment to think. Then glimmer of excitement filled her eyes.

"Well...I won't have to be scared of this, then..." She said, seeing up anticipation.

Ezra saw her turn around. Sabine, much to his surpise, slipped her arms around him and went on her toes for better reach. His eyes widened with shock when he could feel the sensation of a mouth pressing against his.

"Hmpfl?" He could only say.

He had to process this development before he realised what was happening. Sabine was kissing him. Sabine...was kissing...him. He reacted with this realisation, gently placing his hands on her arms while hers rested on his back, and naturally closing his eyes. Their faces were both blushed, the pair of them a bit embarrassed...but not moving from each other regardless. They were both screaming internally.

Ezra grew more comfortable, and put more effort on his end. They achieved a good balance, and their kiss was long and passionate. They didn't dare part for breath, they made do with their nostrils. When Ezra felt particularly happy with this, he moved one of his hands to caress the side of her face. Sabine tilted her head slightly, and got a good position for her to work with.

After what felt like forever, they parted. It took a moment for them to open their eyes as they savoured what they had just done. And, of course, they were still wrapped in each other's arms...so they released each other.

"Huh...that was actually a bit terrifying..." She quietly said as she lowered herself to stand flat on her feet.

Oh no. Well, he didn't want her to doubt herself now. Ezra softly placed both hands at the side of her face without her resisting and lowered himself a bit to kiss her again on her soft lips, and the whole process started over. They weren't good kissers but they were good enough for each other.

 _"This isn't so bad..."_ She thought.

 _"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ He thought. _"WHAT AM I DOING!?"_

He softly pulled himself from her, but she swiftly reached a hand around to press him back in. She was really enjoying this. Kanan better not interrupt them, this time.

As the two teenagers kissed their first, Ursa Wren watched from a distance. She saw her daughter kissing the boy. Ursa never saw anything like this with Sabine. It was a comforting yet sad sight. Ursa missed so much of her daughter's development. Before she ran away all those years back, Ursa saw only a vulnerable girl. Now, she saw an independent young woman.

And Ursa would respect that.

"Mother, are you alright?" Tristan asked from behind.

Ursa sighed and wiped a single tear from her eye.

"I'm fine, Tristan." She assured him. "Let's go."

The Wrens walked off. Ursa left her daughter to the future.


	4. A Girl No Longer

**_Season 4, sometime after 'In The Name Of The Rebellion'. In Continuity with 'Family'._**

* * *

Ezra studied the starchart in the Command Center of the Rebel base on Yavin. Most specifically the Outer Rim section. Many planets, most on the chart, were traced with a red hue, indicating their occupation by The Empire. Lothal was among them. It bothered him just to see it.

 _"Someday."_ He thought. _"Someday Lothal will be free."_

He barely remembered what a free Lothal looked like, he was very young when they began their occupation on Lothal. Young still when they took his parents away. Perhaps, one day, he'd know for sure what it was like for Lothal to be truly free. Not just Lothal, but everywhere.

And he wondered if Saw Gerrera was right with the philosophy that only extreme, ruthless action would lead to victory.

"Lieutenant Commander Bridger" A voice spoke to him.

Ezra looked to his side. He saw the leader of The Rebellion standing by him: Mon Mothma. She looked at the star chart, of all the progress The Empire had made on galactic domination. She knew he was bothered by it. She had shown him this chart earlier when he expressed concerns about his planet.

"It may appear hopeless, but The Empire aren't as strong as they seem." She said to him.

Ezra went back to looking at the chart with her.

"I've never given up on hope." He told her. "Not for us, not for Lothal, not for The Galaxy."

Mothma gave him a small smile. He was certainly quite the model rebel.

"That's good. Speaking of hope, perhaps you could do a favour for me?" She supposed, facing him.

Ezra believed he could. This was the leader of the Rebellion, after all. And he had much to be thankful for them, and much respect for her.

"Sure."

"I've asked Specialist Wren to produce some sample propaganda for The Rebellion." Mothma informed him, handing him a datapad. "Could you give this to her? It's just ideas for her to explore."

This was new to Ezra. He didn't question what Sabine did when she wasn't fixing or cleaning weapons, but this seemed like a good distraction for her. He didn't know of any other artists here. Or someone who was good with a pencil in general.

"I didn't know we had our own propaganda." Ezra said with interest.

"We need to fight The Empire on every front, including the political." Mothma told. "Wren expressed interest in helping. She seems quite the accomplished creator."

Ezra could certainly vouch for her. He believed she was amazing in the field of art, he was happy with the paintjob she gave his Scout Trooper helmet. And Alrich Wren gave the impression that she wasn't an expert. If Sabine paled in comparison to her father, Ezra could only imagine how good he was. He supposed you didn't get a nickname like "The Artist" for nothing. But he remembered that the Stormtroopers on Lothal years back gave Sabine that same nickname.

 _"Like father, like daughter."_ He thought.

"I'll give it to her right away, then." He said.

He could've used an excuse to see Sabine, anyways. They hadn't talked much since escaping that exploding Kyber Crystal...there wasn't anything wrong, they were just both busy. Sabine was doing engineering work (and apparently propagandist work, now) and Kanan was much more intent on meditating with Ezra...either that or Hera always had something for him to be busy with.

Mothma nodded and gave him another smile.

"Thank you, Ezra Bridger."

Ezra walked off from her. Mothma looked back to the star chart. Her smile turned into a frown, and then she turned it off before going her separate way.

* * *

At this time of day, Sabine often wasn't working with any of the ships in the hangar or weapons with the quartermaster. He had no doubt she'd be inside The Ghost, in her cabin. She probably wanted to get reacquainted with her "home away from home" now that she was back after months of fighting on Mandalore. Hera had certainly been glad to have her back with The Rebellion, and not just because she was a capable person.

 _"She's family to us."_

Ezra didn't want to see her just to hand a datapad over, either. He wanted to see her because they had much to discuss, namely their relationship. Sabine no doubt had much on her mind, so many developments had occurred to her in recent events. And he didn't think that being shot at by Deathtroopers was at the top of her list of things to be concerned about.

It wasn't on his, either.

Of course, he gave the regular courtesy. He knocked on the door to her cabin and awaited a response.

"Come in." He received his expected reply.

He pressed the button to grant access, and walked in. He saw Sabine inspecting her wall. On her wall, there were many posters that had been hanged up. This must've been all the propaganda Mon Mothma talked about.

 _"She doesn't waste time."_ He thought, impressed.

He also noticed that Sabine was out of her armour, the pieces had been laid on the floor to dry their new coat of paint. Her hair was also different...it was mostly her natural brown, but with purple tips. It seemed she took her brother's advice when he said to go easier on the hair dye.

Not like it mattered to Ezra, she looked great no matter what.

"Mothma got you quickly into work, huh?" Ezra said, standing by her side and looking at her posters.

"It's fun to use my talent for something productive." She admitted. "What do you think?"

The posters were just drafts, but they were pretty effective. Sabine used a range of different techniques. On one sample, an ugly Emperor Palpatine was looking over a factory line that took in innocent, vibrant kids...and produced blank, soulless Stormtroopers on the other side. It made the Empire look villainous. It was something Sabine could relate to.

 _"Certainly not far from the truth..."_ He thought.

On another poster, a skimpily clad rebel pilot was posed with her blaster. A-Wings were flying in the sky above her. The sample said that The Empire offers fear, and The Rebellion offers hope...which would YOU choose?

"It's good." Ezra told her.

"Let's be honest, you were going to say that no matter what." She said, then looking down to see the datapad in his hand. "Is that for me?"

Ezra had almost forgotten. He swiftly handed it to her, and she had a look. It was some guidelines, and some potential concepts to explore. Sabine was confident her own completely original works would suffice, however. As she read, Ezra brought up small-talk, hands in his pockets. He wanted to talk about this kiss they shared, but he didn't know how to start. So he began with something simple.

"So, uh...new look, huh?" He brought up her hair and freshly painted armour pieces. "It's that time of year again, already?"

He wondered if the added yellow on her armour had anything to do with her being reconnected with her family. It was the colour of Clan Wren, after all. He couldn't imagine that it was a coincidence.

"Speaking of time passing quick..." Sabine began, her eyes still on the datapad. "It's my birthday today."

Ezra blinked. It was her birthday? He was completely unaware. He knew the date of her birthday too, but the last couple days had been so crazy that he forgot entirely. He felt a bit guilty...Sabine always remembered his birthdays, and usually gave him a gift. For his fifteenth, she fixed his disc of family pictures. On his sixteenth, she took him out for a drink at a Garel bar. For his seventeenth, it was a simple kiss on the cheek to compensate for her having nothing else to give. On his eighteenth, she was too stressed and busy on Mandalore to get him anything, but she acknowledged it still.

"Oh!?"

"Yeah, I almost forgot too." She confirmed, smiling slightly. "I'm twenty now."

Her teenagehood was now over. It was a good run. She may have officially become an adult today, but she felt like she had transformed long ago already. Sabine was never one for typical teenage things. And neither was Ezra. That wasn't the life they were set for. A life within The Rebellion made you age mentally.

"Well...welcome to adulthood." Ezra said lightheartedly. "I'm still getting there."

She glanced at him, her smile increased.

"You'll get there."

She realised Ezra had come here for more than just to deliver this datapad. And she didn't find it all that engrossing anyways, so she put it down on her table. And turned back to face him. She could use a distraction from her work.

"Crazy past few days, huh?" She sighed.

"Crazy month." He specified. "How many times have we saved each other's butts, now?"

Sabine thought about it. She shook her head. Too many times to count.

"I dunno, but I like to think we're about even." She supposed.

"Not even on birthday presents." He now sighed.

Back to birthdays, huh? Sabine wasn't going to judge him for something so silly. Ezra helped her get her father back, he swore loyalty to her and was with her all the way when she confronted her clan again...that was a gift she could never match.

"I'm an adult now, Ezra. I'm won't complain about no presents like a child." She chuckled. "It's just a number tied to our life, really."

Here on Yavin, it wasn't like Ezra could go shopping for her. They were too busy.

"You know, you've not really changed in all the years I've known you..." Ezra said with intrigue. "Growth-wise, I mean. Uh, not...that I've been trying to notice."

Meanwhile he had a growth spurt within six months that made him go from slightly shorter than Sabine to a decent amount taller. Sabine was always baffled at that development. Now she was the shortest of The Spectres. Not including Chopper, because he's an astromech.

"I'm sure." She said, not believing him. "Anyways, I'm not going completely without celebration. I think I'll get another tattoo done."

Maybe the Mandalorian insignia since she felt so prideful of her heritage again. Perhaps on her leg. Or her shoulder, but she'd need help for that. Hera could help her.

"Wait, another?" Ezra questioned. "I didn't know you had a single one. I thought you didn't like permanent stuff?"

"Well, I reconsidered. Now I got two."

One on her arm, the other on her thigh.

There was a moment of silence between them. Ezra saw her just watching the floor. Again, the opportunity to talk to her about their first kiss presented itself, but he couldn't bring himself to take it.

"So how do you feel?" He asked. "Being an adult, I mean."

She curled her lips and shrugged. How was she supposed to feel?

"I kinda felt like I already was." She admitted. "We didn't exactly have a regular childhood, the pair of us."

That wasn't a very fruitful conversation.

Sabine turned around to look at her table. There was another poster she had recently finished. Ezra didn't have much more to say so she returned to work. Ezra watched silently as she hung it up and studied it like she did the others. She asked for his opinion, he said something nice, then she went to make some adjustments anyways. As she did, he never felt he was being a nuisance or being a bother. Because he knew Sabine had gotten very accustomed to his presence, she liked having him around. He liked having her around. His bond with her was very strong...

 _"Man, I love her."_ He told himself.

Ugh, he wanted to...say something to her! What was he afraid of? He knew she felt the same! Just watching her work, he wanted to squeeze her and kiss her, tear her from the propagandist work and...he felt stupid. But after earlier today, maybe he didn't have to feel so stupid. But it would really help set things off between them if they just confessed to each other.

But neither knew how to start. More kisses? Could anything match the first one? He certainly wished he had some kind of gift to give her. But then he reminded himself of what Sabine did on his seventeenth birthday, when she had nothing else to give. Maybe he didn't have to say anything to remind her of how he felt about her.

 _"Well, you've already done it once."_

He closely approached her from behind and reached his hand around her shoulders, and touched her cheek. He made her turn her head, and he planted a good kiss on the other cheek.

"Happy birthday, Sabine." He told her.

After what they did earlier today, that was actually quite...comfortable to do. Didn't feel embarrassed about it or anything, it was just so casual.

"Hm. Thanks." She smiled.

She liked this show of confidence...Ezra could tell, and a part of him wasn't satisfied. She felt another kiss on her cheek, far more passionate and longer. His hand caressed the side of her face, delicately brushing through the longer part of her hair. Suddenly Mon Mothma's propaganda felt so much less important to her.

"Mm..." She let out an approving sigh, closing her eyes.

His other hand reached down to rest firmly on her stomach. She found herself in a good hold, the kisses on her face not stopping. She was feeling good, purring as she got smooched. Soon the kisses did stop, but his hold on her didn't. She felt the tip of his nose bury into the back of her hair, gently sniffing. He could smell fresh hair dye.

"I guess this was inevitable, huh?" She asked, her eyes still shut. "Hm...that's nice..."

Just this tender sensation of his breath at the back of her neck. It made her shiver but she liked it all the same. Her stomach was being utterly filled with butterflies, it was almost overwhelming.

"Yeah. I guess it was." He agreed.

Ezra personally never believed that their relationship would head this way. He believed that Sabine's clear lack of interest in him in the earlier years was indicative enough. But he was, perhaps unfortunately, the only boy in her life. The only person she could ever hope to share something like this with. With how often they spent working closely together, it could be natural to assume that with enough time...they'd warm up to one another. Enough time between a pair of single young people, especially with the things they had gone through together, and something is bound to form. In their case...it was romance. Their first romance.

As for her, Sabine felt like a hole within herself was being filled. She had never been touched and held like this before. Admittedly, her late teens felt rather...lonely. She had a crew, she had friends and family who were very supportive...but she still felt lonely. Her vibrator was the best friend she had in that regard. Though with how socially inept she always was, she only had herself to blame for that. The cracking Kanan did to her psyche to get her to open up brought a lot of pain. But now that she thought about it...he had done her the biggest favour she ever had.

 _"I wanted to hate Kanan so much at the time...but he was doing it because he wanted me to succeed."_

Perhaps she should make her gratitude known to him later.

But for now, Sabine liked the step this grope took. Things became clear to her, she knew exactly what she wanted from Ezra, now. Something that was in his power to give to her right now.

"I'm a woman now, so I deserve to be treat like one." Sabine said with the biggest smile.

She shuffled in her place and was face-to-face with her now-instated boyfriend, who let go of her.

"Assuming...that you're up for it, of course." She supposed more tentatively, crossing her arms and tilting her posture a bit.

Ezra blushed a little when he pieced together her request. This wasn't what he expected coming in here would lead to. Though...he didn't expect he'd have shared a kiss with her, either. Or that he'd be groping her with her approval. But it was exciting. This was a field they both never experienced before.

And those lips do look very tempting now that he had a taste of them...

"Haha, it's alright." She assured him, finding his blushing to be cute. "I won't make you do something you're not comfortable wi-"

She was interrupted at the pressing of his mouth against hers. Clearly, he was very comfortable and he wanted to make that clear. Ezra was also getting back at her for the first unexpected kiss she gave him. And now they were on their second. It was a good, loud one. He had gently touched the sides of her face and tilted his head.

Sabine practically melted.

"I love you, Sabine." He told her in-between the locking of their lips. "There's no one I'd rather share this with."

Sabine was briefly silent when she heard that first phrase. But she soon brought herself back into the moment.

"I bet you say that to every girl you help with family issues."

When they parted, Sabine happily stared at him. His choice was clear. She felt so excited.

"Sex is a beautiful gift, Ezra." She told him. "It may be my birthday, but I say we both deserve it."

Ezra wanted to remain confident but he went redder as she started pulling her bodysuit over her head. His eyes trailed away, but they quickly focussed back on her. It would be an insult if he wasn't looking at her otherwise.

 _"Okay...you're actually gonna do this."_ He told himself. _"Sabine...actually wants you to do this."_

A younger version of himself constantly liked to picture Sabine with less clothes, but to have it happening in front of him in reality? It was certainly something to take in. After she pulled her bodysuit off, she removed her gloves. Ezra's eyes made a quick scan of her. He never thought he'd see so much of her olive skin. He saw one of the tattoos she talked about before, a swirly detail extending across her right forearm. He wondered how long it must've taken to do that.

"You're turn." She said, expectedly.

Of course, Sabine needed some eye-candy too. Ezra swallowed and swiftly went to remove his shirt casually. He let it fall from his hand once it was off. It was her turn to study him, and he hoped he wasn't a disappointment to her. Thankfully he wasn't, he was in good form. Sabine could see the man that he was turning in to. Ezra used to be a skinny thing, having been an underfed boy that had to survive on the streets. But since then, he developed.

"Nice muscles." She complimented.

Sabine reached out to trek a finger across his chest. She could see that he couldn't stop blushing, though. In fact, even she was a little red. They were both inexperienced, and didn't quite know where to start.

But they were too far to stop now.

"Just do whatever comes naturally." She suggested.

Naturally, he wanted to kiss her and hug her. There was a time where his hormones wanted little more than to fuck her brains out, but that was when he was a stupid kid. Sabine was a woman now, he wanted to be a man to her.

"Ah, you're so..." He tried to word his compliment as he reached out and held her face again. "I dunno if words can even describe you..."

Sabine giggled. Ezra was treating her like she was some sort of goddess. She could deal with that.

"I don't think words can describe what we're about to do together." She grinned, then puckered her lips.

Ezra kissed her again for the third time, his hands moving to hold her bare shoulders instead. They pressed hungrily against each other, their mouths parting only for quick gulps of air. Ezra placed a little nudge of force against her, and she leaned against her table to support herself. Sabine stuck her tongue out, and pressed it against his lips. They then both opened their mouths widely, their tongues dancing around each other as they exchanged air.

 _"Wow, I never thought I'd be doing this with Ezra..."_ She thought. _"This is the same boy who used to make the most stupid flirt attempts."_

And now she was snogging him. How things change.

Eventually they managed to pull themselves apart, a thin rope of saliva connecting their tongues. They chuckled to each other, feeling so empowered by what they were doing. Ezra didn't want to just kiss her, however. He wanted to make her feel good, he wanted to pleasure her.

"You know, it's funny..." He started. "Jedi aren't allowed to do this sort of thing."

"No..." She let out forced disbelief.

"It's true."

"Yeah well, look at Kanan." She said. "How seriously do you think he takes the rules?"

That was a good question. Sabine gave him something else to think about, however, she then innocently lowered down her arm one of the straps to her bra. Ezra noticed, and he swiftly buried his face into her collar and neck.

"Oh!" She closed her eyes again and let him work, her hands going back to rest on the table for support.

She felt so fuzzy as he trekked his tongue across her skin, and peppered her with soft kisses. He moved a hand to delicately bring down another strap, and then undo the last one on her back. The undergarment fell loosely from her, and she was left bare from the waist up.

Ezra was told to do what he felt was natural, so he took a moment to admire her developing breasts. Sabine certainly wasn't a woman with big curves, but she was perfect all the same. He then licked his lips to wet them, and went to test out their suppleness in his mouth as he lowered himself.

"Oh, Ezra..." She quietly moaned out his name to his pleasure, holding the back of his head.

He was softly licking and kissing, before proceeding to give a good suck. That certainly made her feel good, because her sounds of approval became briefly louder and her hold on his head tighter. She liked him where he was, she was actually pressing him against her chest, his face buried in her.

 _"This is what being a woman feels like."_ She thought. _"And I love it."_

When Ezra was done giving her breasts attention, he lifted his head back up and rested his hands on her sides.

"We're just getting started." She teased. "Let's lose the pants."

Sabine reached down and started unbuckling his belt. Ezra watched her with a smile.

 _"Gonna be a fun night."_

* * *

A couple hours later at lights-out, Sabine and Ezra were resting on the bunk. She was being held by him as they lay on their sides, and their legs were tangled together from a period of snuggling. They were naked, and they were exhausted. There were so many things rushing through Sabine's head. She had never experienced something so wonderful like this before.

 _"I lost my virginity."_ She told herself. _"To Ezra."_

And she was completely okay with that.

"You still alive?" He asked humorously as his arm wrapped around her stomach and pressed her back against his chest.

"C'mon Ezra, you didn't pound me that hard..." She said with a chuckle. "Just...need a moment to catch my breath."

He had quite a bit of stamina. She was the one who came first.

Ezra shifted himself and her so that she was underneath him, their faces close together. Sabine's arms were over her head, and his hands planted near her shoulders. They just lovingly stared at one another, relishing in what they had shared together.

A wave of thought came over Sabine, though.

"You know..." She began quietly. "It's felt like its worked out too well."

Ezra was a bit confused by what she meant.

"What...my penis?"

"Hah...no, dumbass." She said, shaking her head. "I mean everything. The Darksaber, Mandalore, my family...and us."

Everything seemed like a fairy tale to her. Sabine had sorted out so many troubling things in her life, and she had Ezra to thank for that. Well, there was Kanan too...but Ezra had a special place in her heart.

"I think you deserve to be happy." He said, stroking her hair. "This Galaxy is miserable enough as is."

That was true. Sabine should enjoy every moment, she never knew when things might be turned upside down. Her current situation was definitely better than it was a year ago. Or even a year before that.

It was Ezra's turn to be open with his feelings. It occurred to him that Sabine had a deep sense of duty to her family and people, probably due to feeling a need to atone for previous mistakes. Mandalore was free from The Empire, but it wouldn't be long before The Imperials respond with action. He knew Sabine would do anything for them. Hell, she even had a tattoo of a small wren bird flying up her left thigh.

She was very proud of her clan heritage.

 _"So why is she here, instead of being home?"_ He wondered.

Sabine did say that she wanted to help him free Lothal, but her family's issue was much more imminent than his. She also said to Hera she came back for The Rebellion. But he could sense that there was something underneath all this, that was truly influencing her decision.

"Sabine?"

"Hm?"

"You know, your people sure could need you." He told her. "You know The Empire better than any of them. Your knowledge of Imperial protocol and tech always helped us, sometimes at critical moments."

Sabine gave a slightly sad look to him.

"We're lying naked together, and you want to talk about my value as a military asset?"

Ezra didn't want her to think like that, so he gave her a quick kiss. She liked those.

"Not exactly. It's just...why did you come back?" He asked. "You have a place amongst your people again. You have a real home, now."

If Ezra had parents who needed him on Lothal, he didn't know if that would influence his ability to stay here, with The Rebellion.

"Yeah, and I'm grateful for it all. But I'm still here."

"Sabine, what I'm asking is...what made you come back?"

Ezra saw her think about it, her eyes trailed from him. She really gave it a good thought. It took a moment for her to give an answer.

"I came back for you." She whispered, looking back at him. "I...guess I just didn't want to let you go."

Mostly. Lothal and the other Spectres definitely helped her make the choice, but when she thought about the possibility that'd she'd lose Ezra? She knew she had to go back, so she'd be with him every step of the way. It was funny...her mom hoped that the reason she left them wasn't just because of Ezra, but for the most part? It was.

"But your family?"

"I let them go for years." Sabine continued to elaborate. "And believe me, I'm so SO glad I have them back. But Ezra, you were there for me when I needed you most. You've been by my side every day, always supportive."

Her hands moved from above her head, and went to grip his back.

"That kiss we shared really did it for me." She smiled weakly. "I knew that I didn't want to be away from you."

Ezra...should've felt a bit conflicted. But he only felt happiness.

"When this is all over, when we've freed Lothal and wiped out The Empire..." Sabine began. "...where do you see yourself?"

Ezra was a bit blank. A life with no Empire, and freedom for the Galaxy? Gee, he was too busy trying to make that dream become a reality before thinking about what he'd do once it happened.

"I dunno..." He said, genuinely unsure.

Zeb had Lirasan, where all his people were flourishing safely in the Unknown Regions. Hera had her family on Ryloth. Sabine recently reacquired a strong attachment to Mandalore and its people.

He supposed he was in the same boat as Kanan.

"Whatever Kanan ends up doing, I guess I'll be doing too." He supposed. "He is my Master, after all."

"Kanan will definitely want to go with Hera to Ryloth, and live with her." Sabine informed him.

"Yeah, probably..."

Sabine pushed him a bit closer to her.

"So if he's following the love of his life..." She said suggestively.

Ezra took a moment to decipher her implication. The possibility of what she eluded to started running in his head...a Jedi living with Mandalorians? Would that even work? Well, however it'd be...he knew Sabine would put in a good word with him.

"I love you."

He barely heard that, he was too busy thinking.

"Sorry?"

"You said you loved me, before." She reminded him. "Just letting you know...I love you, too."

Ezra forced a smile, and they kissed for what felt like the hundredth time. He lay down on his back, and Sabine rested herself at his side, her hand on his chest. It was getting late, so she started to get some sleep. No doubt they'd have a long day tomorrow.

Ezra found it hard to sleep, though. Sabine's suggestion that Ezra come with her to Krownest once this conflict was over kept him up. It had been a long time since he was apart of a proper family...the thought of spending his days with the love of his life, and seeing what that could lead to...

Well, it was something worth staying up to think about.


	5. Useless

**_Two weeks after the Season 2 Finale_**

* * *

The dark streets of Garel City were rather densely populated tonight. It was the weekend, Zhellday, where people were typically enjoying the venues and just having a good time. Stormtrooper patrols were frequent but they were occupied in keeping the peace, though still dangerous regardless. With all the commotion however, it was an ideal time for insurgent activities. As long as you could be discreet, and not get into trouble.

A group of partying civilians walked past a dark alleyway. After them, a patrol of silent Stormtroopers passing the other direction. When it was clear, an orange and red Mandalorian helmet poked out and looked to both sides. Then retreated back into the dark.

"Okay, it's clear" Sabine said, turning around. "You okay?"

Kanan leaned against the wall, his left hand on his right side. He was placing pressure on a wound he had sustained. They let out a long grunt, and flexed their neck.

"I think I'll live" He told her. "I think"

That wasn't reassuring at all, actually.

Sabine approached him, and gently placed her hand on his arm, and inspected him. There was a bloodstain expanding across his shirt, the epicentre in his side. She looked up at him, at the cloth that covered his eyes.

"We have to keep moving, let's go" She said.

Sabine gave another look to check they were clear, then helped Kanan. He placed his arm over her shoulders, and she tried her best to support his weight.

"We'll never make it back to The Phantom like this, the docking bays are too far away!" Sabine expressed her frustration as they started moving. "I knew I shouldn't have taken you with me, Kanan! What was I thinking...?"

Everything was supposed to be simple. A job to organise some supplies with smugglers, so they found themselves deep in the underbelly of Garel City. Sabine was given the task but Kanan insisted he also come along. Sabine supposed that he was trying to prove he was fit for duty despite the disability that he had since Malachor a couple weeks back. Sabine tried to dissuade him but Kanan talked briefly about Jedi being able to see differently and that he'd adjust. So...she believed him, and had faith.

Didn't seem like he was adjusting, however. And her faith had been broken. He could walk on his own relatively alright, though Sabine had still been keeping an eye on him. But the Jedi got into a tangle with some unfriendly folk, by bumping into them, and he didn't want to reveal his Jedi abilities to defend himself (he hadn't taken his lightsaber, only a blaster he couldn't aim with). Sabine had wanted to interfere but Kanan was sure he could end things peacefully...they both had experience with smugglers and criminals in an earlier life, but Sabine held a more realistic vision of what was going to happen.

And her vision would come true, because Kanan got stabbed as punishment for his clumsiness. Not severely enough to kill him...at least, not on the spot. But enough to where there could be serious consequences if he didn't receive medical attention soon.

This sort of people were certainly brutal. Sabine wanted to kill them, but Kanan required her more immediate attention.

That was all only ten minutes ago, now.

"Let's just take our time" Kanan suggested weakly as they slowly trodded. "Just pretend I'm drunk if we look suspicious like this"

So that's what they did. They passed by folks and Stormtroopers relatively alright, though they certainly got a few glances directed towards them. Was hard to pass the drips of blood as anything else. It made Sabine feel uncomfortable. Suddenly, Kanan let out another grunt and he almost fell over, his grasp on her slipping. Sabine caught him, but struggled to get him back on his feet.

"Kanan, you've got to get up!" She yelled at him, desperately. "We can't stay here! You're going to lose too much blood if we don't get back soon!"

He nodded, he understood. He mustered up his strength and tightly wrapped his arm around Sabine again as she struggled to lift him back on his feet. She was quite smaller than him, it was difficult for her to support his weight, especially with him getting weaker by the minute and relying on her more and more. Soon, he'd not be able to move at all.

Sabine knew this.

 _"Ugh, this was supposed to be simple!"_ She thought. _"Kanan had to complicate everything!"_

Though she blamed herself very much for taking him with her in the first place. Why did she think she'd need backup? She could handle herself in The Underworld of the Galaxy. She spent a lot of time in it with Ketsu when she was a bounty hunter. She knew her way around. Kanan didn't have to come...he insisted...she listened. And now they were in this mess. The mission was a failure, and now Kanan was mortally hurt.

Thanks to her.

"I can't, Kanan!" She told him hopelessly, as they barely inched forward, then stopped. "You're getting worse, I need to help you now!"

He didn't have the strength to talk back. He had to place his trust in Sabine from this point. And he knew that he was in good hands, so he allowed her to decide their next course of action. Sabine was clever, she was resourceful.

"Can't get you to a medical facility, databases will recognise you and your Jedi-blood" She said quietly, looking around. "I have to treat you, myself"

She wasn't a doctor, but she had to try. To do that, they needed a place to bunker down. And some medical supplies. And they needed it quick. Kanan wasn't bleeding heavily, but he was bleeding steadily. Sabine just had to hope he'd remain strong.

"Okay, there'll be a hotel somewhere" Sabine hoped, as she turned their direction and they started slowly moving again. "We'll stay there just long enough to patch you up"

"Hm" Kanan hummed in acknowledgment, a backchannel device was all he could give right now.

"Good thing we brought money" She sighed.

They took their time as Sabine directed the path. She wasn't entirely certain of the services provided in the area, but this was a city...there was bound to be something that was suitable. Her biggest concern wasn't finding a place to stay, it was finding it soon enough for Kanan. So they walked for a while, managing to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Soon, they reached a rather quiet building in a quiet street, away from the ruckus of weekend celebration. It was perfect, Sabine felt. It was obviously a somewhat run-down place, in a relatively run-down part of the city...that just meant they were out of the way, and the place would probably be cheap.

 _"Owners probably won't ask questions"_ Sabine thought. "They just want the credits"

She looked concerned at Kanan, who was holding on to her firmly. He was tough, Sabine was sure he was going to be fine. Didn't make all this any less scary, though.

With some luck they'd get through this, of course.

* * *

A miserable looking human worker at a desk was scribbling into a notebook when a troubled looking couple inched their way in, taking their time to approach. He put down his pen and watched them come forward, seeing the girl attentively helping the man make his steps. He didn't care about the drips of blood, this place wasn't keen on cleaning anyways...they let that get handled by the poorly maintained cleaning droids.

"We need a room" Sabine told the middle-aged worker. "Preferably one where we don't need to climb stairs to get to"

The man curled his lips and checked another, larger book. His pen trailed down it, before stopping and looking back up at them.

"None on the ground floor" He told them. "Room eight on the first floor is available, though"

"Gah" Sabine was annoyed, looking at Kanan.

The Jedi nodded, he could bring himself to tackle some stairs.

"Fine, we'll take it for a night" She quickly said, slamming some credits down on the table, confident it was enough.

The man counted the money and handed her a keycard when he was satisfied, and they began the painful process of getting Kanan up a floor. He returned to his writing without a care...clearly he had seen quite a few cases like this in his time working at the desk. It seemed this hotel was fairly occupied, likely by the less fortunate or those wanting to lay low for a while. In their case, they were certainly the latter. Kanan had to take his time getting up, every movement in his muscles could potential make him contract something in his torso, and that would really hurt if he did so. Sabine was patient, supporting his balance.

"Alright, almost up" She encouraged him softly.

When they finally got to the first floor, Kanan let out a relieved sigh.

"Thanks" He quietly said.

"Don't thank me yet" Sabine told him.

A small hallway extended in front of them. As they walked down, a shady-looking Abyssin was walking past. His single, large eyes took notice of the pair.

"Oh, another coupled example of young love" He remarked, insensitively. "How about some glitterstim to liven up the night? I got some to sell, cheap too!"

Sabine rolled her eyes under her helmet and brushed him off, her hand gesturing for him to piss off. The drugdealer raised his hands and shook his head with a chuckle, leaving them alone and going off to ruin some young folks lives for profit. When Kanan and Sabine reached their room, she opened it up with the keycard and they walked in.

 _"Okay, what's in here...?"_ She thought.

It was nothing special. A bed, some poorly structured chairs, a dusting couch. Obviously not much to look at, but it would serve well enough as a place for Kanan to rest. They both had slept in worse places, anyways.

"Okay, lets get you settled" She said, closing the door behind them. "Can you stand on your own?"

Kanan silently nodded, and Sabine slowly let go of him, ready to catch him if he failed. He thankfully managed to stay on his feet, but he was swaying a bit. It was starting to get bad, his stamina was starting to leave him. Even a Jedi, for all their power, aren't invincible to the deadliness of getting shanked by a blade.

Sabine removed her helmet and placed it down on a table, then approached Kanan closely as she flicked her blue hair from her face. It was time to bring out her caring, sympathetic side.

"Okay, I need to see the wound...to know what I'll have to deal with..." She began quietly, reaching out to him. "Lets get that shirt off, okay?"

She started with his armour on his right arm. Sabine did most of the work for him, removing the straps to his pauldron and putting it away. Kanan got his hands underneath his shirt and tried to peel it over him, but the work in his muscles was making his wound spike with pain. He grunted loudly, but pushed through as Sabine helped him take it off, soon pulling it over his head.

"Ah! Ahh..." He tensed up as he stood bare from the waist up, feeling blood leaking down his skin.

Sabine studied him. Her hormones couldn't help but notice he was in good form and she was getting a close-up of what Hera liked so much, but now wasn't the time for distractions...at the side of his abdomen penetrating his skin there was the wound. It looked like a fine red slit, perhaps deep. He wasn't bleeding too heavily, so it must've not hit a vital organ or vessel...but stuff like infection was still a major issue, especially in a place that couldn't be so clean.

"Alright...just lie down..." She instructed him, holding his arms. "There..."

The Jedi let out a sigh of relief as he lay on his back on the bed and relaxed, he chuckled weakly. Pressure had been taken off his muscles after working hard to stay on his feet. He could feel his wound throbbing, his chest pulsing as he breathed deeply, both in and out.

Sabine crouched beside him, inspecting him.

"Guess I'm a fool, huh?" He tried to be humorous. "A Jedi Knight getting stabbed like a common-"

"Shush, Kanan" She sternly told him. "I gotta focus...you just save your strength"

Kanan obeyed and closed his eyes, letting her take care of him. The rest, he had to leave to Sabine.

 _"He looks so...vulnerable"_ She thought, sadly. _"And weak..."_

It was certainly an upsetting sight. For years Sabine knew Kanan as this strong, capable leader that she would follow into battle any day...that was certainly quite a compliment for a Mandalorian to give. She didn't expect it would be her having to help him in a scenario like this...but things have changed. Kanan was blinded, back on Atollon he needed assistance much of the day. He often had Chopper guiding him. Training with Ezra had ceased, his participation in missions had stopped, he couldn't even shoot straight anymore...Kanan must've felt like he was useless, and he wanted to prove to himself he could still be useful by coming with Sabine to Garel. Try to hone his Jedi talent for seeing through The Force, but that was a different struggle entirely. One Sabine couldn't help him with, at all.

And now, they were here. And Kanan needed help once again.

"Here, let me take that off..." She offered, reaching for the cloth around his eyes.

Kanan quickly reached out for her hand to stop her, and she retreated a bit. He didn't want her to see the state he was in behind this.

"Don't worry about that" He told her with a cough. "It's not what's killing me right now"

At least, not killing him in a literal way. Kanan never let anyone look at the wound he sustained from Malachor, not even Hera. It brought him obvious discomfort. Sabine let him be.

"Okay...I need to get some medical supplies" Sabine decisively said, standing up. "I won't be long. Can you hang on for me, Kanan?"

He didn't respond. It seemed he had already fallen asleep, his body tired out from all the struggle of staying on his feet. Sabine was alone now, in a way. She fully intended to make sure Kanan would wake up again, and get back on his feet. So she quickly stormed out the room without even taking her helmet, and locked it behind her.

 _"You're gonna be okay, Kanan"_ She promised.

* * *

Sabine's eyes were miserably trailed on the ground as she walked through the busy black market, her thoughts stuck on Kanan. The corruption of the place could practically be smelt in the air. This market, despite all its danger, felt almost like home to her. She felt just fine surrounded by all these intimidating traders, many twice her size. She spent a lot of time in company like this when she was a bounty hunter, and that previous life continued to have uses even today.

Sabine browsed the different markets. The Black Market typically had the most interesting things for sale, stuff you couldn't sell legally. It was useful to the Rebellion, all legitimate traders wanted nothing to do with insurgents.

"Bacta samples. Do you have any for sale?" Sabine almost demanded to a Rodian trader, who was stood by many crates of smuggled goods. "Make it quick. It's important so I'd rather not dally...what will all this give me?"

She displayed all the credits in an amount that she believed would suffice. As the Rodian counted, he nodded in satisfaction. He turned to search his goods for bacta, opening one of the crates and looking inside. As she waited impatiently, Sabine felt a presence from behind, and some stomping of feet to compliment it.

Oh dear. Stormtroopers?

"Oh, the little lady has come back!" She heard a voice speak.

She frowned to herself before turning around, her body ready for a fight...you always had to expect one around these parts. She found herself face-to-face with an aqualish and a human, who were staring at her. The human's right side of his face was disfigured...Sabine took notice of that feature in specific because this was the mark of the one who stabbed Kanan. She realised that she was face-to-face with their attackers from earlier, the human being the one in particular who put Kanan in this predicament in the first place. Her fists clenched, she was close to lashing out at them...though she quickly calmed herself before her temper overcame her...instead she just glared at them with fiery eyes, but said nothing. Kanan would tell her to not act out of personal feelings, certainly not out of revenge...she decided to honour that against her nature. She didn't give them the satisfaction.

But that wouldn't mean they'd not try to push her.

"You'd think you'd have learnt your lesson the first time when your idiot friend wasn't watching where he was going!" The human said angrily, getting close and trying to scare her with his ugly face.

He sneered, but Sabine kept her composure. Her face turned from him when she smelt his bad breath, but she soon looked dead at him again. She didn't blink. She wasn't intimated.

"He's blind" She informed him. "You attacked a blind man"

Her face remained unmoving. The human stepped back a bit, glancing to his friend.

"I don't think I like you" He said aloud, then gesturing to his companion. "He doesn't like you either!"

The aqualish nodded. It was taking a lot of effort to not just put them both five feet in the ground right now, but it was going to lead to that real soon if they didn't back off. The Rodian had her bacta, but was waiting to see how the events unfolded. In fact, several people were starting to pay attention to the scene Sabine found herself involuntarily playing in. There was no law here, and no decent folk to break them up in the name of civility.

The human got real close to her again and studied her facial features, but she was still. If he dared touch her, though...

"Such a pretty face...I work well with pretty!" He went on, imitating a scalpel in his hands. "I like to make them un-pretty. Would you like to be un-pretty, little girl? No? Then you best watch yourself!"

The aqualish bellowed at her, agreeing with his equally ugly friend. They were clearly trying to provoke her, to give them the excuse to attack her. If a simple thing like walking into them was enough to get Kanan hurt, then it couldn't take much more to wear out their tolerance against her. Sabine had to give it her all to not give them the slightest reason. All she did, was continue to glare at them through their insults. Clearly, they were insecure and compensating for something if they had to go and pick fights like this...it'll probably get them killed, someday. Maybe they'll do this to a Jedi that isn't blind, and they won't be so smug then.

Soon, the two were indeed getting bored. So they left her with a final jeer, the human going for the low-blow by calling her a whore. When they were gone, Sabine had to take a deep breath in an attempt to vent her rage. It would've been so easy to drop them both on their asses, and give them both the same treatment they gave Kanan...

But again, it's not what Kanan would want. If Kanan didn't want her getting revenge over Hera against The Protectors, he certainly wouldn't want it for himself either over those losers.

 _"Alright Sabine, it's over..."_ She thought. _"You proved yourself the bigger person..."_

That's what Kanan would say, anyways.

She turned around, and snatched the bacta from the Rodian. It was contained in a small canister. The Mandalorian quickly began to head back to the hotel...she hoped Kanan's condition hadn't worsened.

 _"No more delays, gotta get back"_

She stopped for a moment. She remembered Kanan's apparent unhappiness with how he looked behind his cloth, how he wouldn't let anyone look at it. She couldn't revert the damage but she could make him look less silly. She cupped her chin and thought about how she could help remedy that, somehow. Sabine turned around to look over the market again.

 _"Surely there's something here..."_

* * *

Thumping was heard outside the hotel room, before the door was slid open and swiftly closed again as Sabine walked inside. She browsed over Kanan, he was still asleep. Though his skin had gotten a little paler, and he was glistening with sweat.

 _"It's too warm in here"_ She figured, stretching her collar. _"He's heating up"_

Sabine placed her hand on his forehead, and felt the heat. She then opened a window, it was the most she could do for the temperature. The next part wouldn't be much harder, bacta was simple to use.

 _"The prized tool of medicine"_ She thought.

She pulled up a chair and sat down to Kanan's side. The wound in his side was starting to look ugly rather than the neat slit it was before. But it was alright, she had what she needed to help him now. She brought up the small canister, and opened the lid. The contents were a clear, liquid gel. Very potent medicine, the stuff could regrow tissue and reform even bones. Only the most severe injuries or diseases couldn't be cured with it. The biggest issue with bacta was obtaining it, actually...it's not like it was distributed regularity to populations.

 _"But I have some, and that's all that matters"_ She told herself.

Sabine positioned the canister over Kanan's wound, and carefully poured some of the bacta over his wound. The Jedi's body shuffled a bit at the cold sensation on his skin. Sabine smiled to herself, he would surely heal in time.

 _"Manda, this mission has been so...needlessly complicated"_

And much of that was due to Kanan's blindness. She sure wished bacta could help him regain his sight, but The Rebellion would've done that already if it was possible. No, Sabine heard the medical report. The lightsaber strike didn't just catch his eyes, it burned out his nerves. Not even some cybernetic eyes could help him, only the most advanced technology or procedures could help...and they didn't exactly have that amount of resources. Sabine and Ezra both offered to find whatever was required to help Kanan, steal it if they had to. But Kanan was always firmly against the offer, he would tell the, that they had other things to be concerned about. But he was worth all that concern...

Sabine could only imagine what it must be like, to be blind. To be truly blind. Just thinking about it was painful. No more graffiti work, doing her own hair would be impossible, or painting her armour. It's no wonder Kanan was growing a beard, he couldn't shave properly.

 _"Well...he doesn't look that bad with a beard, anyways"_ She admitted.

Sabine just hoped Hera found beards attractive.

The Mandalorian yawned. She just realised how tired she was. Their time on Garel was much longer than it was supposed to be, and all that errand-running she just did had made her a bit weary. It was actually a bit relaxing, being in this quiet room while knowing the ruckus going on outside. It was just a feeling of comfort she couldn't describe.

She reapplied some bacta. They would have to keep doing that, and making sure he was okay. And that's all she could do. It's all she wanted to do. She amused herself by looking over his masculinity...Kanan certainly had some good muscles.

 _"I bet Hera likes to just grope him"_ She thought with a chuckle.

As time passed, Sabine found it harder to stay awake. Soon enough, she fell into a deep sleep like her friend.

* * *

Later in the night, Kanan's awoke. He was completely still. Didn't even attempt to look around...Kanan had gotten used to waking up like this. Total darkness, regardless if he was awake or not.

Well, it seemed he wasn't dead, at least.

 _"Good, dying to those two would've been a bit humiliating for a Jedi..."_ He thought. _"Ah, I really am hopeless like this..."_

His hand hesitantly went to touch around his wound, but instead of the expected sharp pain, he only felt an ache. He couldn't feel a stab wound, only a throbbing mark. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Sabine did a good job alright, judging by the moistness on his skin, she had used bacta to treat the wound. Smart move. He was a little afraid she'd try to do it the hard and painful way, involving a thread, needle and disinfectant. That would've made for a long, stressful night.

"Sabine?" He asked for her.

No response, though he could feel her presence at his side. Kanan heard her steady breathing. Seemed she fell asleep just like him. He didn't want to disturb her, but they were gonna have to get going soon and report back. It was unfortunate that they'd have to report a failure...this was Sabine's mission, and she failed.

 _"Thanks to me"_ Kanan thought sadly.

He'd make sure that the blame fell to him when they got back, Sabine would've easily handled this if he hadn't made her take him along. Kanan let her sleep a bit longer before eventually nudging her legs with his arm, waking her up. The girl mumbled as she wriggled in her seat. Kanan could only imagine what the tough, feisty Sabine Wren looked like when she was woken from her beauty sleep.

 _"Probably a bit cute"_ He thought humorously.

"Okay..." She groaned softly. "I'm up...I'm up..."

Her eyes slowly opened and she wetted her dry lips, but she suddenly sat in attention with a gasp when she remembered where she was and what she was doing. She scanned over Kanan, standing up...and calmed down when she saw he was alright and smiling to himself. He was looking much better.

"You seem happy for a man that just got shanked" She told him as she sat down again and stretched her arms. "How're you feeling?"

Kanan took a deep breath. All his insides felt intact.

"Well, I'm feeling alive" He told her sarcastically, then placing his arm under his head. "I have you to thank for that"

She smiled at him. But she supposed he couldn't see that, so she hummed instead. Sabine was glad he saw some enjoyment in this scary situation they had went through, she was just thankful she saved him. She didn't want to have to bring him back to Hera in a bodybag.

"So what is it now, four-five?" He supposed, counting on his fingers.

He tallied the ratio of times Sabine saved Kanan against times Kanan saved Sabine.

"Hm, I'm catching up" She said, lightly warning him.

"Yeah...today was a real wake-up call for me about how useless I've become" Kanan admitted, his smile fading. "I'm probably gonna need to be saved by everyone from this point, huh?"

Her own expression became slightly saddened.

"Kanan..."

"Since Malachor...I can't do anything anymore" He said, a little frustrated, holding his hands in front of his face. "How does someone...live like this? What am I supposed to do with myself?"

All he could effectively do was meditate. Jedi were taught to see without their eyes, but Kanan could feel that his rusty connection to The Force can only get him so far when it came to replacing actual vision. Feeling someone's presence wasn't the same as actually seeing them...he noticed that most of all with Hera. He couldn't see when someone smiled, he couldn't see when someone was directly talking to him...Sabine was going to have to tell him what exact colours she changed her hair to next.

He heard her talking about perhaps going for pink soon.

"I'm useless now, Sabine" He repeated bitterly. "I'm no use to anyone...I'm glad Ezra stepped up to take my place"

Ezra certainly has become quite capable.

While it was true that...he wasn't as capable as he used to be, he was still Kanan. And Kanan had done so much for Sabine, for every one of The Spectres. He didn't need to make it sound like helping him would be an annoyance, or a hassle.

He had to know that. He had to know that he was so valuable to her, regardless. Valuable to the whole crew.

"You're not useless, Kanan" Sabine assured him, holding his hand and hunching closer. "If it wasn't for you? Who knows where I'd have ended up. You took me from streets not unlike those here in Garel. You gave me a crew to join, a place to live, a purpose to fight for..."

When previously she only looked out for herself. And it wasn't just her, Zeb had a relatively similar background. So did Ezra. It was like Kanan and Hera owned this weird space-orphanage, and all misfits were welcome.

"You saved me, Kanan. Not from death, but from myself" She went on. "I had nothing...but you gave me everything"

Kanan remained blank as he took in her words, they were quite moving.

"So shut up about being useless, I don't want to hear it" She told him sternly. "I...I know you're going through some tough times and I can only imagine what it's like. But you were there for me when I needed it...so I'll be there for you, always. No matter what"

Soon, he moved some muscles in his face and gave a small smile.

"Wow, I didn't know you could be so emotional" He teased. "You're not gonna start blubbering all over me now, are you?"

She sighed and let go of his hand. Clearly she shouldn't attempt to be affectionate, Kanan would just give his typical dumb humour regardless if he could see her disapproving frown or not. She looked down at her feet, feeling a bit embarrassed. Yeah, that did sound a bit soppy...

"Hey, Sabine"

She raised her head again and looked at him.

"Thanks, really" He expressed his gratitude, without any of the humour...just being honest. "It means a lot to me"

She nodded, her face lightening up. Now that she got that off her chest...she supposed she could liven up the mood a bit before they both started crying and holding each other or some cringey stuff like that.

Kanan beat her to it, though.

"Right, you've ogled at my body long enough" He said decisively, sitting up. "Let's get going before you start getting some ideas"

She glared at him, outraged. It was humiliating to hear because it was so true.

"What!? No I wasnt!" She denied Kanan the satisfaction of thinking in such a manner.

"Whaat, then you're not a lesbian, are you?" He suggested, his back to her as he dressed himself. "Oh dear, Ezra is gonna be devastated when he hears this"

"Ugh, shut up" She rolled her eyes. "I would never dare try to give competition to Hera, Kanan"

She wasn't worthy. Unbeknownst to both Kanan and Hera, Sabine shipped them both so hard. She wondered if the day would come when they finally smooched. She'd rejoice on that day. Kanan deserved it.

Kanan got dressed and met Sabine at the door. He waited for her to open it, but instead she remained where she was, looking up at him. She almost forgot to give him the little gift she got for him.

"Kanan, can I please take that off?" She asked gently, reaching up to his face again.

"I hope you were referring to the blindfold" He said.

She scoffed.

"Can you stop trying to make it out like there's sexual tension in the air?" She requested of him, a little irritated. "You don't want Hera shooting me out an airlock, do you?"

Kanan shook his head. He certainly didn't want that.

"I mean the blindfold" She informed him softly. "Kanan...I'm sure it's not that bad. Please, let me take it off"

He sighed. Well...she had been running around for him all night. He supposed he could tolerate a peek. Kanan himself wasn't sure how the wound looked, but considering it was a lightsaber that blinded him? He didn't expected himself to still be that handsome devil he used to see in the mirror.

He gave a slow nod, and closed his eyes. Sabine carefully reached out, and removed the white cloth from him. When it was away, she saw the nasty scorched line across his face. Kanan opened his eyes, his previously hazel pupils were now a pale white. They couldn't see, but his eyes were still looking right at her. The connection should've been there, but it wasn't. Her brown eyes watered a little, but that was the furthest it got.

He was very much recognisable as Kanan Jarrus, Spectre One of The Ghost Crew.

"Kanan...you look fine" She promised him with a smile, wiping her eye delicately. "Don't worry, you can still consider a career in men's modelling if being an insurgent Jedi doesn't work out"

She really shouldn't have, but she went on her toes and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. It would do good for his confidence. The Jedi gave a light chuckle as Sabine gave him his gift. Kanan felt the object in his hands, but couldn't quite make out what it was.

"What is it?" He asked, intrigued.

"Put it on" She instructed him.

Kanan figured it out, and placed it on. When he looked up again at Sabine, she saw the upper-half of his face covered by a mask. A proper mask suited for his condition, not that dumb blindfold. He touched it again...he appeared happy with it.

"Thanks, Sabine"

"Anytime"

They left the room together when they were both ready. Walking down the hall, that same shady Abyssin from earlier was walking in the opposite direction to his room after a night of dealing glitterstim.

"Oh, looks like the love-birds have risen" He said to them aloud. "Ooh, buddy...that's a nice mask you got the-"

He didn't finish his sentence, because Sabine gave a hard strike across the face with her fist, almost losing her balance from the momentum of the swing. The drugdealer recoiled and fell smack on his back, groaning. Sabine swore she heard a crack in his jaw when her knuckles struck him. She looked at Kanan, who gave a disapproving frown.

"Sabine!" He said, unhappy.

He crossed his arms. Sabine shrugged at him, then continued on the path.

"What? He tried to sell us drugs earlier" She reminded him. "C'mon Kanan, I gotta get you back to Hera in one piece"

Truthfully, she just really felt the need to punch something after that encounter with the disfigured human and aqualish. Might as well be a scumbag drugdealer. She felt better, now.

Kanan didn't. The Jedi sighed, and then followed after his Mandalorian companion. He stepped over the floored Abyssin, his hand reaching out in front of himself. He was being wary not to walk into anything, especially after what it got him the first time.

 _"Alright, let's take this slow..."_ He thought.

Sabine looked back. Behind her helmet she curved her lips...no, she didn't want him walking about like that. She retreated back to him, and firmly grasped his hand in her own. Kanan felt a bit embarrassed when she started leading him like a child.

"I like I said?" She spoke with a smile. "I'll always be there for you, Kanan"

Well...that made him feel a bit better.

"I know you will, Sabine"


	6. Spectre Five

**_6BBY._**

The sound of radio chatter filled the air as a group of stormtroopers marched during their patrol. As they passed, two figures, one much bigger than the other, ran past. They ran until they were able to put a wall between themselves and the patrols.

"Okay Spectre Two, we're in." One of the figures said.

"Copy that, Spectre One."

The man looked to his left, and saw his Lasat companion looking back.

"Just to make sure..." Spectre Four began. "We're just here for the armaments, right?"

"That, and the shipment files...if we can get it." Spectre Two told him. "Fulcrum could sure use them. But the blasters are our priority."

They exchanged a nod once all was understood.

"Spectre Two, get ready to pick us up on a moment's notice." Spectre One said, then looking at his companion with a smug look. "Spectre Four isn't great at keeping things incognito."

"Let's just get this over with." They mumbled, unamused. "This isn't a special day."

The two men them began moving, doing their best to avoid detection. They were navigating an Imperial warehouse in Garel City, where many vast resources and other goods were being stored. Among these, was apparently a shipment of E-11D blasters. According to Fulcrum, they were particularly deadly, and were due for export to Scarif.

It was important that never happens.

It was wise to not cause a ruckus until they were actually inside the warehouse, so the two Spectres moved from cover to cover to avoid detection. In a city like Garel, the biggest concern was the black market and criminal underworld...not rebels. So the Imperial patrols were often bored, and not exactly on the highest alert. So getting past the patrols wasn't too difficult, even with one of them being rather large.

When they got to the warehouse, the entrance was shut and locked. One could only get in this way with a keypad, or if they were transporting a vehicle in and out.

"Times like this, I wish we had a hacker." Spectre One muttered. "That's like a basic skill, and only Chopp specialises in it."

And it's not like they could take that droid with them.

"A demolition specialist would've also been good." Spectre Two supposed. "You know, so they could make diversions. Getting into facilities like this would be easy, then."

As if The Force itself was listening in on their conversation, the two of them were startled when they heard a loud explosion. Their heads spun around, and in the distance not too far from them, a cloud of colour had formed. The sound of stormtroopers yelling filled the air, as they kicked into gear and began to move in to inspect the area.

"What's going on out there!?" They heard someone yell.

They heard the keypad was beeping, and they both quickly pinned themselves to the wall as the entrance opened. Walking out was the commander, indicated by his coloured pauldron on his armour.

"I swear I can't even have a cup of caf without you fools messing up!" They continued ranting as they prepped their blaster to check out the area.

The two rebels saw this as their chance, they both rushed through the entrance before it closed. They were now locked inside, but they could figure out an escape later.

"Thanks, Spectre Two." Spectre One said into his com. "That was a helpful diversion."

"Me? I didn't do anything." She replied, confused.

The two men exchanged an equally confused glance. If it wasn't Hera, who was it?

A question they could ask later. Now, they had to find the blasters. To do that, they had to see the shipping details as the place was filled with many crates, and they only had so long before that miraculous diversion would stop getting the troopers' attention.

The place seemed empty, but they couldn't be too careful. They both began discreetly making their way to the office on the upper floor, going up the stairs. They got into the office without further resistance. Inside there was an interface at the desk, with a cup of steaming caf at the side. The human quickly sat down to look over the files, whereas the Lasat stood guard at the window which looked over all the crates and a large transportation vehicle.

"Fulcrum was right, there's a large shipment of E-11D blasters." He said, before taking out a device and plugging it into the system. "They're for a Deathtrooper programme."

He sat patiently at the desk, until he noticed something was wrong. The files weren't being downloaded on his device.

"Huh? The files aren't downloading..." He tapped on the interface some more, trying to figure out the problem. "They're...being redirected to another system. Another device?"

He was confused. Someone else was downloading the files.

"Uh, Kanan?" Spectre Four got his attention with a gesture, but remained staring out the window.

Kanan got up and joined him at his side. They looked down and saw something most unusual. Down in one of the isles was another person. Not Imperial judging by their attire, they were covered in a cloak. They had opened up one of the crates, and was looking inside. They could see that the figure had a portable device in their hand as they rummaged about.

"Zeb, that...that'll be the weapons!" Kanan said aloud. "And they have the information!"

The two then rushed out the office and jumped down the stairs. Before Zeb could literally charge into the stranger, Kanan stopped him and suggested they take it slowly. They came to a silent agreement, and came up with a plan to surround the person to make sure they didn't get away from them. Believing himself to be the more silent type, Kanan told Zeb to distract them while he approached from behind. Before Zeb could even say anything, Kanan was already slinking away.

"Alright, this will definitely not go horribly." The Lasat muttered.

Zeb poked around the corner, and got a closer look at the stranger. Didn't seem like a big person...in fact they seemed pretty slim and relatively short. That was good, it meant Zeb could knock them down with one punch if anything went wrong.

Zeb waited until Kanan was closer to jumping the person so he could get their attention and distract them. When he seemed within reasonable distance, Zeb called out to them.

"Hey!"

The person immediately reached for their blaster, and began firing at Zeb without hesitation. The Lasat barely managed to take cover, surprised by the sudden hostility.

"Hostile, Kanan!" He yelled. "Take them out!"

The cloaked figure heard that too, obviously. They were about to quickly spin around, but was grabbed from behind, getting placed in a headlock by Kanan. They began to struggle hard.

"Relax! We won't hurt you!" He tried to calm them.

It was a more passive approach compared to Zeb literally yelling to take them out. But they didn't calm down. To Kanan's surpise, they did a very acrobatic move to escape his grasp. He then felt a leg get sweeped under his own, knocking him over. The stranger reached into the crate and pulled out one of the E-11D blasters, before firing on Zeb and keeping him behind cover. Kanan saw a detonator fall from her hand, and it exploded into a mist of smoke when it hit the ground. He got onto his feet and into a cautious stance. He couldn't see the stranger, but he knew they were still here.

"Careful, Zeb." He told the Lasat, who looking about frantically.

Before either of them could react, he heard Zeb grunt as they fell on a knee and held their head. He got whacked by a blaster. Kanan still couldn't see the target, but he could still sense them. He closed his eyes and went into a meditative state, his hand on the handle of his blaster. He was standing in silence. Suddenly all noise was gone. All he could hear...was footsteps. Quiet footsteps. Coming closer...and closer...

Then he spun around, his blaster out his holster. He saw his attacker jump, about to hit him over the head with the rifle they were holding. Kanan fired at them, then they fell past him and collapsed onto the floor. He had used the stun mode.

"Is it over?" Zeb asked aloud, rubbing his skull.

Kanan wiped his brow and sighed.

"Yeah...I got 'em."

Kanan approached Zeb and helped him up. The two men looked down at the neutralised stranger.

"It's not every day we find ourselves competing with people over who gets to screw The Empire." Zeb said, putting his weapon away and checking out the crates. "Thanks, Kanan."

Kanan crouched down and turned the stranger over. Getting this close a look, under their cloak was a suit of plain Mandalorian armour...seemed it was a girl, too. He curled his lips, and took a look at the device they had on them. He assumed this is what was downloading those files.

"Yeah, these are the blasters, Kanan." Zeb told him, picking one of them up and getting a feel for it in his hands. "Beautiful things, actually."

"Well don't get too attached, we're sending them to Fulcrum." Kanan said as he picked up the E11-D dropped by the stranger and put it in with the rest.

They closed the lid on that crate, and Kanan pocketed the device. They found themselves looking down at the stranger again. She began to mumble and move a bit. Zeb soon turned his attention to the transportation vehicle.

"Alright, let's load the crate up, we can use the transport to escape."

Zeb began to load the crate up. When he looked back, he saw Kanan pick up the stranger and slung them over his shoulder.

"Kanan, just leave them." He advised him.

"Hey, we did jump her..." Kanan reminded him. "Not fair to leave them in the hands of the stormtroopers."

Imperial prisons weren't kind.

Zeb sighed as Kanan stepped into the transport, and laid the person down. He then nodded at the Lasat, who was at the controls.

"Alright, might be a bumpy escape..."

Zeb turned the engines on, and the transport moved forward. The sensors picked up the weight and movement, opening the doors to the warehouse. Once their route was open, Zeb moved at full speed ahead. They whizzed past confused stormtroopers and smashed their way out of the complex. The two men laughed together, happy with yet another successful assignment.

Kanan reached for his com to tell Hera of their success.

"Spectre Two, we got all the goods." He said, pleased.

"Good job, Kanan."

"Oh, and prepare the ship for a guest." Kanan told her, looking back at the still-unconscious person.

"I guess I should save my questions for when you get back..." Hera muttered.

As the transport flew away from the warehouse, the stormtroopers ran after it briefly before stopping, knowing it was a futile effort.

"Ahh, what!?" The stormtrooper commander yelled in confusion. "Oh no, that explosion was a diversion?!"

One of his troopers approached his side, but the commander hit them over the head with his blaster. All he wanted was a relaxing cup of caf.

Instead he'd have to explain this situation to his superiors.

* * *

Hera, Zeb and Kanan were conversing amongst themselves in The Lounge.

"I'm glad you got the mission done, but did you really have to bring her aboard?" Hera asked.

She gestured to the seats, where their guest was laid down and cuffed by the wrists. She hadn't woken up yet, which was strange as a stun often didn't last that long.

"Well, I couldn't exactly leave her." Kanan said, scratching his head. "Though Zeb wanted me to."

"I'm just saying." Zeb defended himself. "She did fire at us."

"Yeah, but only because we jumped her."

They all looked back at her.

"Gotta say, that was impressive, what they did." Kanan admitted. "Clever, too. The explosion was a diversion, probably so she could sneak in. Dunno how they did, but clearly she knows some tricks that I don't."

Hera suggested waking her up, and resolving the situation. Since they had nothing else to do, Kanan approached the girl and began lightly shaking her by the shoulders. When she started mumbling, he let go and took a step back.

They watched as the stranger squirmed. She seemed peaceful for a moment, almost relaxed. But then it looked like she came to a realisation, as she quickly sat up and scanned around. She saw her captors, and stood up, ready for a fight.

"Woah, we're not gonna hurt you." Kanan said, reaching his hands out to calm them.

The girl grunted as she struggled against the cuffs when she noticed them, but she quickly gave up. She pieced together the situation, on how she got here in the first place. She muttered in a foreign language as she slumped back down on the couch.

Then she just looked up at them, gazing at them behind her helmet's visor. The human, twi'lek and lasat took notice of her appearance.

"You're a Mandalorian?" Hera asked, curious.

The girl simply shrugged, gave a slight nod.

"You speak Basic?"

She nodded again.

"Yeah." She replied, her first word to them. "Are you gonna let me go?"

"Of course, if you play nice." Zeb said, making an imposing gesture by cracking his knuckles.

"Zeb!" Hera shot a look at him.

"What? I'm just kidding."

The girl felt the fatigue kick in after having been stunned, and she held her head.

"Ugh, you stunned me..."

"You were shooting at us." Zeb told her. "Then you blinded us...then you hit me over the head. Yeah, I'd say you got it easy."

They saw their guest remove her helmet. Underneath she had a head of red hair, vibrant against her tanned skin. She looked quite young, younger than they expected.

"I'm assuming that explosion was all you." Kanan noted. "Quite a thing you managed to pull off, ransacking an Imperial warehouse on your own. I'd consider that a team-effort requirement."

She didn't reply.

"...you got a name?"

"Harra the Hutt. Yes, I'm quite proud of my explosions." She replied with a brief, smug look before switching to a stern one. "Why did you bring me here? Last I remember you knocked me out after you attacked me. Yes, YOU attacked ME, not the other way around...just making that clear."

She said that, looking at Hera. Making sure the twi'lek understood who the victim in that situation really was.

"We had no quarrel with you, so it seemed like the right thing to do." Kanan told her. "What were you doing exactly?"

"Surviving." She told him simply.

Zeb raised an eyebrow at her.

"Infiltrating Imperial zones is an odd survival technique." The lasat stated.

She sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Imperial armaments sell on the black market." She began to simply explain. "Getting weapons means putting food in my stomach. As I said...survival."

Hera's face showed a glimpse of sympathy.

"You live on your own...?"

"I don't live anywhere." She told her, before standing up. "This has been a nice little conversation, but you've set me back. You're gonna release me now...and you're gonna give me those E-11Ds."

She raised her hands out to them, expecting them to remove the cuffs.

Kanan could see that they were dealing with a particularly capable young lady. She was Mandalorian, after all.

"Letting you go sounds fair." He agreed. "But we're keeping the blasters."

The girl chuckled and shook her head.

"No, I don't think you are." She told him with a smile.

She gave all three of her captors another scan.

"There's only two kinds of people who would steal The Empire's weapons." She began. "The first kind? People put into enough desperation to do stupid things...like me. The second kind? Rebels."

She then gazed around the room.

"You don't look like you're struggling too much. Not enough to steal some blasters, anyways. So that really narrows it down..."

She kept giving them that smile, until it faded. It was replaced with a stern glare once again.

"Let me go, already!" She demanded. "Haven't you wasted enough of my time!?"

"As I said, we'll let you go." Kanan assured her. "But you're still not getting those blasters. In fact, we already en route to deliver them."

She would argue more, she used quite a few of her scarce resources to get those blasters in the first place. But she wanted freedom more than she wanted those armaments.

"Whatever, fine." She gave up, rolling her eyes again. "Leech off MY efforts, why don't you. Just bring me back to Garel."

She slumped down on the seats, crossed her legs and sulked.

"Rebel scum." She murmured under her breath.

You couldn't trust those kriffing rebels. Though, she couldn't trust anybody.

No one.

* * *

A while later into their journey to the drop-off point, Zeb found himself still standing in The Lounge. In fact, he was on guard duty. In his own ship. Watching over their cranky guest, as she sat pouting.

"So...Lasat, huh?" She started conversation, smiling innocently as she leaned forward on the table. "Never seen one before."

He remained silent, but she was still mischievous. If they were going to take her blasters, she was allowed to have some amount of enjoyment.

"Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, victims of genocide and all." She went on with that same look on her face. "Not sure why it happened, maybe it was one big experiment. Something to do with ion weapons?"

Zeb remained silent, though his face frowned. He looked at her, and walked forward. He placed his hand on the table, and took particular note of her Mandalorain armour.

"I've heard stories too." He told her. "About Mandalore. Something to do with incinerations? Nasty business. I thought your kind would've learned their lesson not to play with superweapons by now."

He saw that smile on her face fade, and she trailed her eyes away from him. He saw that he got to her.

"Well, looks like we both have reasons to hate The Empire." Zeb said as he backed up from the table.

She closed her eyes and sighed, that was a direction of conversation she didn't want to be anywhere near. Looks like the Lasat could play this game, too. But she quickly lost her appetite for mocking him, so she didn't say anything.

Soon, however, Hera emerged from The Galley. She was holding a plate of food.

"I hope Zeb is being good company?" Hera wondered, glancing at her companion. "We have to take those blasters, but that doesn't mean we'll let you go empty-handed and hungry. We'll give you some compensation credits, and...here."

She placed the plate down on the table, in front of their guest. She just looked at the food, then back up at her. They didn't say anything, she just had a frown on her face.

 _"Not really in the mood for peoples' sympathy..."_ She thought.

She'd rather have the blasters. But...this was better than nothing. Her frown softened up.

"Ah."

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned." Hera assured her. "We'll drop you off soon."

Hera looked at the girl's bright red hair. They were dressed relatively gloomily, with the armour and cloak. Yet, that stood out. It made her look cute, the type where the person is trying hard to look anything but, yet totally is.

"Nice hair." She complimented.

"Uh...thanks?"

Hera smiled at her and sat on one of the seats opposite her.

"I'm Hera. And that's Zeb." She gestured behind herself at the big lug. "The gentleman you saw earlier was Kanan. Looks like you all got off on the wrong foot."

The Mandalorian shrugged.

"I made every precaution. I don't know how your friends caught me off-guard but...congrats, I guess." She muttered bitterly. "What do you rebels need with weapons? You don't look like you're gearing for a war."

Hera chuckled.

"Sorry dear, I can't tell you." She answered politely. "It's...classified."

"Well, I needed those weapons for credits." The Mandalorian said once again.

"For food. Yes." Hera understood. "But stealing blasters for food? E-11Ds, too. You...must have quite an appetite."

Something didn't seem to add up.

"No, it's...ugh, you wouldn't understand." They muttered.

Hera could see that the girl was a bit pale, unwell. She definitely looked like a vagrant, or drifter. The Garel streets...couldn't be kind. But stealing weapons for food...surely there was a less risky way of making money, food didn't cost that much in the markets. At least, not for one person.

"How desperately did you need them...?" Hera wondered sympathetically. "Do you have a whole family to feed?"

If it was a whole family, it'd explain why she was going for armaments.

"Hah...no family. Empire saw to that." They told her. "No, I'm just looking out for myself. Trying to make a living isn't easy, so you can imagine why I'm a bit annoyed that your friends basically kidnapped me."

So she was alone...then why did she need so much money? They must've been aiming big, going for something other than nourishment. Still, Hera looked a bit saddened. No family, and out on the streets alone? She was very fortunate to be a trained Mandalorian...she could look after herself, even if it wasn't easy. Regardless, she felt sorry for the poor girl.

But she put on a smile still.

"It's better than leaving you to the stormtroopers." Hera reminded her. "They wouldn't have made you some waffles. So eat up, we'll take you back soon."

Hera stood up and left her alone. She patted Zeb's shoulder and went back to the cockpit. Zeb and the girl were left alone again, but no words were exchanged. She seemed hesitant to accept anything from them, but she was just staring at the tempting couple of space waffles with syrup.

 _"Wow, been so long since I had warm food..."_

It made her stomach loudly rumble. Ugh, she couldn't resist...

Zeb saw her suddenly take the knife and fork, and she began devouring the nourishment. Practically pushing food into her mouth, not even licking her lips as she got syrup on them. She just didn't want to stop munching for a moment...it tasted really good for her, clearly. Zeb could understand, he loved space waffles. Kanan did too. Shame they had to use some to give to this street-rat.

Well, at least it made her quiet.

* * *

Hera found Kanan piloting in the cockpit of the ship, while Chopper calculated their jump to hyperspace. She took her seat in the co-pilot chair.

"Skinny little thing, she is." Hera remarked, sitting casually and relaxed. "She was ransacking that warehouse to make credits, Kanan."

So did they. Yes, it was good to punch The Empire in its stomach but...making profit was important for them too. Hera felt a bit guilty, because the girl clearly needed to make money more than they did. She looked desperate.

"People like her are all over the Galaxy, these days." Kanan said, glumly shaking his head. "The Empire isn't kind to drifters."

"She looks pretty capable, though." Hera said. "She's not a beggar, like most. She handles herself."

Kanan nodded, and he put the ship on auto-pilot as they began their hyperspace route. He turned in his chair to face Hera.

"At the warehouse, that explosion came from her...she used it as a diversion." He noted. "She got into that warehouse on her own, somehow. She gave a decent fight despite getting jumped on, too."

"So she clearly knows how to handle herself." Hera supposed.

"Well, we did put Zeb on guard duty." Kanan said. "Mandalorians can be a tricky bunch."

This one was particularly young, though. Their guest couldn't have been much more than sixteen.

"I hate seeing kids like that." Hera shook her head and crossed her arms.

"Well, you don't have to worry for this one...as I said, she can look after herself. After we drop the blasters off, we'll take her wherever she wants and give her some compensation credits. She'll be fine."

As Kanan returned his attention to piloting, Hera was in contemplation.

"She's a demolitions expert, then?" Hera wondered.

"Seems so." He confirmed. "Zeb and I found some detonators on her person...they looked hand-crafted. She also carried some explosive substances...and an airbush."

Hera stroked her chin, thoughtfully.

"We, uh...found some glitterstim on her, too."

Hera gave him a surprised look.

"She...she has drugs?"

"Yeah."

Hera placed her hand over her mouth. That was awful. Especially for someone so young...they really needed some help, some stability, but in this world that wasn't easy to come by. She closed her eyes and sighed. No wonder the girl was stealing weapons, she was paying not only for food, but also her next fix.

It hurt Hera to think about.

"...her skills would be useful for us, don't you think?"

Kanan gave her a glance, and he frowned. He knew what she was alluding to.

"C'mon Hera, we aren't an orphanage." He told her. "I know seeing some lonely cute kids turns on some motherly instinct in you, but..."

"It's nothing to do with that, Kanan." She interrupted. "You didn't want Zeb here either, but he's been a great help wouldn't you think?"

Kanan had to admit, he was. Before Zeb, it was just himself and Hera. And their droid. Hera did the piloting, and Kanan did the shooting. He DID like it when it was just a trio.

"Yeah, it's good to have another blaster at my side, but-"

"Well, this young lady has two."

Kanan gave her an unamused stare. But Hera wasn't backing down. They needed to expand their crew. Getting a fourth Spectre made things easier, it was another operative on the ground and it meant both cannons on The Ghost could be manned. A fifth one would be even better...

 _"Crew needs another woman in it, anyways."_ She thought.

"Look, even if I wanted to fill that empty cabin we got, she clearly doesn't want anything to do with us." Kanan told her. "You can't just ask someone if they want to be a rebel, Hera. It's something you gotta be committed to, you have to have the drive for it..."

Hera simply raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realise there were strict requirements to get in on The Ghost club." She muttered. "She doesn't seem to like The Empire...and she has no family, Kanan! Just a poor kid surviving on the streets. Does that remind you of someone?"

She was looking directly into his soul. Hera and Kanan sighed together, and laid back in their seats. They each took a moment to think. Kanan considered her side of the argument.

"You know what it's like, Kanan." Hera said to him, gently. "To struggle with something as simple as survival at such an early age. The girl looks so lost...she needs some direction in her life. She's an addict...you know what that's like."

Kanan nodded slowly...he knew all too well. Seriously, having glitterstim on her person is...not a good sign at all. She was heavily troubled.

"Alright, alright. You're obviously gonna keep nagging me, so I'll talk to her." Kanan gave in, waving his hand. "But don't get your hopes up. She herself may not be as enthusiastic as you."

Hera had a small smile on her face. Kanan was doubtful, but she had a good feeling about this one. It's almost like meeting this girl was destiny.

And they did really need to fill that empty cabin.

* * *

Kanan extended his hand out and dropped some credit chips into the Mandalorian's hand. She weighed them in her grip. Kanan could see she was disappointed. It'd be enough for food, but he knew that wasn't all she wanted.

"Not as much as I would've gotten from the blasters..." She muttered. "But...it'll keep me going for a couple days."

She glanced up at Kanan, and the two exchanged a blank look.

"You...could've left with behind to rot with the stormtroopers. But you didn't...so thanks." She said quietly. "And you did feed me. So...you're not all bad."

The ramp to the ship opened up, and they both walked out. They were inside one of the Garel City docking bays...the sun was beginning to rise and illuminate the dark sky. She was ready to get going...she had been given back all her possessions and given compensation. But when the girl looked back, and saw that Kanan had been joined by Hera and Zeb, along with their little droid.

"Gee, a big farewell, huh?" She supposed. "We've only met for a couple hours. You'll probably never even see me again."

The rebels all exchanged a look, Hera nodded at Kanan. He stepped forward, scratching his head.

"So, Harra The Hutt..." He said humorously. "That is your real name, huh?"

The girl used this cloak to make herself incognito for a reason, but she didn't see much harm in telling them. She removed her helmet.

"Hah...Sabine." She told him. "My name's Sabine."

"Well, Sabine..." He began. "You left quite an impression on Hera, here. So much, that she actually...wants to make you an offer."

Hera stepped forward in front of Kanan, since he was going to stutter at every turn.

"Listen, dear..." She began. "We can tell you're a capable young woman...you seem to know what you're doing, and you don't look like you want to be given much attention. So I wouldn't blame you if you just wanted to get going, but..."

Hera scanned Sabine over.

"You're the kind of person who would fit well with us." She continued. "Just saying."

Sabine simply gave a questioning look.

"You know...you're a loner, you don't like the imps...you have a talent that we could certainly use, by the way..."

She was flattered. Sabine was relatively proud of her expertise in explosions.

"Do...any of you know about bombs?" Sabine asked.

They all shook their heads. Explosive experts, they were not.

"Well I...don't want to brag, but it's not strictly explosives." Sabine elaborated. "Weapons in general. Pretty good with technology of all forms."

She let out a little chuckle. There wasn't a weapon out there that she couldn't tinker with.

"Again, not meaning to brag. I do pretty decently by myself...it looks like you do too. So why would you want me in your crew?"

Sabine tried to fit in with several types of people. It never worked out. The Empire, bounty hunters...her own family...

How would this be any different?

"We're a crew of misfits." Hera told her. "We've all been a bit alienated before. Kanan here also has no family, as does Zeb. I do...but I don't exactly get along with them."

Sabine was silent. She didn't get on with hers, either...

"And we all like to stick it to The Empire." They went on with a small laugh. "I imagine you do too."

It was true. Sabine hated The Empire. They made her feel so betrayed, so naive. People in general made her feel that way. And there was only so many times you could handle that before you learned you wanted nothing to do with them.

"Look, I'm sure you're decent folk...and I have no love for The Empire." Sabine began quietly. "But I'm a loner. Haven't always been one, but it guarantees that I can't be hurt by people anymore."

She gave them a glum look.

"Sorry."

They watched in silence as the girl turned around and put her helmet back on, and started walking away, making her way out the docking bay. Hera had clear disappointment on her face.

"Well, that's that." Kanan said, before turning to enter the ship along with Zeb. "Told you not to get your hopes up, Hera."

"She was annoying, anyways." Zeb muttered.

Hera looked down at her side, at Chopper. The droid just let out a little buzz.

"Well...we'll just be here." Hera whispered.

The girl was conflicted. They might change their mind.

Or they might not.

* * *

The early morning streets were sparse, quiet. That wasn't good. It meant Sabine stuck out more. She needed to find a place to crash for the day, so she went about wandering. She knew a few good spots.

 _"You could've stayed in that ship."_ She told herself. _"They probably had a cozy little room for you."_

And more space waffles. It was a tempting offer. She barely knew those people, but they seemed nice. Truthfully, when she looked back it seemed she was actually the antagonistic one. She couldn't blame herself, she didn't like people. People were trouble.

 _"The Empire betrayed me. My family betrayed me. Ketsu betrayed me."_

Sooner or later, people were bound to hurt her. Thinking like that, it briefly convinced her that she made the right choice, to refuse joining them. But the seeds of doubt had already been planted, and they were growing stalks inside her. Being a drifter made her miserable, she had no one. She didn't want to take risks with people anymore, she just wanted to stay away from them.

All she could do was look after herself and hurt The Empire, in her own insignificant little ways.

 _"Sabine Wren, daughter of Ursa Wren, prized cadet...now a lowly street rat."_

If only her folks knew how much she had fallen. Would they even care?

"Citizen, halt right there."

A voice spoke. Probably out to her. She stopped, then slowly turned around. Approaching her, was two stormtroopers.

"Yes...?"

"Last night there was a break-in at the Imperial warehouse." One of them told her. "An investigation on the matter is underway. The Empire requires you share any information you may know."

Her helmet could only give them a blank look.

"Are you offering money for info?"

"The Empire is prepared to compensate for any leads that can be confirmed."

She curled her lips. Did she dare? She really needed more money, more than those rebels gave her. Glitterstim wasn't cheap.

"You may...want to check out docking bay forty-five." She told them simply.

The two troopers glanced at each other, then back at her.

"Very well."

One of the troopers patched into their com.

"Commander, send a squad to docking bay forty-five."

Sabine suddenly felt a hit of guilt. A bit of her self-preservation and need to sate her addiction kicked in, and for the first time in a while, she actually regretted it. These were good people she was ratting out.

"Stay with us, while we confirm your lead." They continued to tell her. "You will be rewarded if the lead is factual."

And punished if it was false, she assumed. But she wasn't worried about that, she knew it was good info. She was more concerned about her own sense of honour. Those rebels may have knocked her out, kidnapped her, taken her blasters...but they meant well.

Once upon a time, so did Sabine.

 _"Ugh, what have you done?"_ She asked herself.

Helping The Empire. Something she never thought she'd do again. Despite all her flaws and troubles, she considered herself a good person. Well...it was time to correct things. She needed to do the right thing, as a good person would do.

One of the troopers who were talking into their com was shocked when they saw their companion get suddenly shot in the face. When they looked at the Mandalorian, they stared down the barrel of a blaster before they too were blinded by a red light, then blackness followed.

Sabine looked at the two bodies, then began running.

 _"They won't be expecting stormtroopers. I have to move."_

Looked like her decision was sealed.

* * *

Hera, Kanan and Zeb were eating in The Galley. Hera was clearly a bit saddened by recent events, but Kanan and Zeb didn't seem to mind at all.

"She would've been a good crewmember." Hera told them. "None of you know how to make detonators. We have to get them from other sources."

They also weren't the best at maintaining The Ghost's cannons either. That would've been a job fit for a Mandalorian.

"Will you stop talking to us like its our fault?" Zeb said, a bit annoyed. "She made a choice. None of us would've protested if she wanted to join."

Hera sighed. He was right.

"It just hurt, to see someone like that alone and...I dunno, scared? It must be scary to live on your own like that."

And now that girl was going to continue to be a...lowly addict.

Kanan gave her an assuring pat on her back.

"It's alright, Hera. She'll be fine." He promised her. "Mandalorians are some of the toughest people in the Galaxy."

He let go of her, and continued eating. Though a bit glumly.

"Some individuals...just don't mesh well with a crew." He said quietly.

Supposed he was right. Still, from what Kanan said of her, Hera thought she would've made a perfect Spectre. She had stealth skills, knew how to hold a blaster, was an experienced weapon's specialist...it really looked like she needed some direction in her troubled life.

Hera would've went on about her, and opened her mouth to talk more, but was stopped when she felt the room move. They all felt it. They sat at the table, still and alert.

"Is...the ship moving...?" Kanan questioned, confused.

They all came to a realisation at once, and all stood up at the same time. They began rushing out The Galley for the cockpit.

"Karabast, Chopper!" Zeb yelled.

The Lasat was surprised to see that the droid was rushing with them, he looked down at Chopp and the droid buzzed in confusion about how this was somehow his fault.

"If it wasn't you, then whose in the cockpit!?"

The four Spectres got inside the cockpit. Someone was at the controls, piloting The Ghost. Out the mirror, a squadron of stormtroopers was firing on the ship, but it was a futile effort. The Ghost raised in the sky, and was already making its way into space.

"Phew. That was a close one." The pilot said.

The seat turned around. The Spectres saw none other than Sabine, sitting with a smile. Her cloak was removed, and she placed her helmet down. She finally had a bit of life in her face.

"So, uh...I was thinking..." They began, scratching their head. "Do you guys...have any more of those space waffles...?"

They had many questions, which needed answers. Why did she come back? How did she even get in? Why is she piloting the ship as if she owns it now? Why were stormtroopers shooting at them?

Kanan and Zeb gave Sabine a big frown. But Hera, she shook her head and chuckled. She looked at the young lady sitting in the chair and sighed, crossing her arms. Perhaps the others didn't see it, but Hera knew exactly what she saw.

Spectre Five.


	7. Recovery

**_Four Months After 'Spectre Five'._**

Hera stood in the Lounge with Chopper, waiting for her crew members. They had been sent off on another mission that involved kicking The Empire in its behind, and the captain was waiting to greet them as they returned via The Phantom.

"That mission was a breeze." Kanan said as he climbed down the ladders. "Think we could defeat the whole Empire tomorrow?"

Hera smirked at him.

"Might need some extra eggs for breakfast tomorrow, then." She chuckled.

After Kanan, Zeb was next down the stairs.

"Might be none left soon. I'm starving." He said. "I'll go on that shopping run for you Hera, if you want."

The Galley was near barren, so someone had to do it. And Zeb always did like picking out which things to get...the man liked his food. Hera nodded at him as the lasat followed after Kanan.

Down the stairs, then came Sabine. Hera smiled at the sight of her, it was good seeing her get accustomed to their daily routines. She had been here for a few months now, and she was beginning to both earn and give trust. But it was a slow process...Zeb was much easier to get to know when he first joined, but Sabine winded herself tightly. She didn't talk about her past or much about herself at all, to Hera or anyone else. She didn't eat with them, and she preferred to do combat practice alone. The only time Sabine interacted with them much was during a mission, where it was necessary.

There, her speciality as a weapons expert was a valued skill indeed. She could maintain all the weapons onboard and could make explosives for the crew. During her free time, she was either making detonators, doing calibrations on the turrets, or just staying in her room. Alongside Kanan and Zeb, she was a good shot with her blasters and she could take some of the heat off them. With a Mandalorian in their ranks, the Spectres were starting to become quite a team.

Any doubts about Sabine from Zeb and Kanan had pretty much disappeared at this point. It was just...another thing about her entirely that they didn't like.

"Hi." She said simply with a smile and a small wave, before passing by her for her cabin.

Sabine certainly did spend a lot of time in her room. Hera just thought it was her being new to the crew and settling in at first, but it was pretty obvious at this point that Sabine wanted to avoid any social contact.

Perhaps the traces of being a vagrant remained. Hera hoped she could get them to fade. That was her goal. She wanted Sabine to feel welcome, to feel like she was truly apart of the circle.

"Good job, kid." Zeb said to Sabine as he leaned against the door to his cabin as she passed. "We'll make you a Rebel yet."

She gave him a smile. Her relationship with Zeb was pretty icy to start with, but they began to warm up to each other. It started with them being unable to even talk to each other without filling their speech with microagressions, but now they could at least make eye-contact and...respect one another.

When you're fighting back-to-back with someone, that'll happen.

Sabine then entered her room and closed the door behind her. She placed her helmet away and removed her equipment as she looked around her room. Her own room. Even after all these months, she still felt that glad feeling of having her own space. The place was dark and gloomy but it was her own.

 _"A small piece of the Galaxy for Sabine to hide in."_

Better than living on the streets, for sure. She had to work more on personalising the cabin...but she didn't have a lot of disposable income to spend on paints or dyes. No, she was using it all on something else.

Sabine glanced at one of her drawers. She appeared considerate, even reluctant. But she soon approached it and opened one of the shelves. She looked at the contents inside, rubbed her neck when looking at them, then pulled out an object. In her hands, was one of the objects of great shame in her life.

 _"Here we go again..."_

She leaned against the wall and weighed it in her hand. The stim. Her drug. Her comfort. It felt like her only friend left in life. It was the only thing that understood her pain...but it was also a great source of it.

 _"You know you shouldn't."_ She told herself. _"You know you have to stop"_

Sabine had a look of defeat as she removed the lid of the stim. She extended her left arm out in front of herself and poked the tip in. The spices and fluids in the tube went into her bloodstream, and the effect was almost immediate. A rush. Sabine let out a long sigh and rested her head back, but her face was still saddened.

 _"It's killing you...every stim is killing you more and more..."_

And yet she couldn't stop.

As Sabine closed her eyes and went on her trip of feelings, she was unable to realise that the door to her cabin had opened. Hera had came inside for a chat, and was now looking at Sabine. She saw the girl injecting herself, and it was...not a pretty thing to see. But she didn't interrupt her, she only quietly spoke...and closed the door behind her.

"Sabine?"

Sabine opened one of her eyes and looked at Hera. She didn't expect a visitor. She should've felt alarmed...but the drug numbed everything anyways, including her reactions. She only gave her that same sad look as she finished the injection, and let the stim delicately fall out of her fingers and onto the floor.

"Hey, Hera..." She whispered as her eyes trailed to the ground.

It wasn't a surprise to Hera, or to Sabine. The crew knew that their newest member had an addiction, and that she had trouble kicking it. In fact, it was something they had to fund just so Sabine wouldn't be in pain, because they weren't prepared for her to suffer a withdrawal nor did they want her to. But...Sabine felt so ashamed at the fact that the crew had to dedicate an entire section of their credits just to sate her glitterstim addiction. She felt like a moocher.

THAT was embarrassing...and sad.

"I know it's a pointless question but...are you really okay with this?" Hera asked her.

Her compassion was appreciated regardless.

"I wouldn't be taking this stuff if I wasn't." She muttered, rubbing her temples and trying to focus through the effects the drug was having on her mind. "Is there...something you want?"

Hera looked down at the stim on the floor and crossed her arms. It was...disgusting to have to see someone do this. She knew of the problem and that was already difficult enough, but it hurt all the more to see it for herself.

She wanted this to stop.

"How many more do you have?" Hera asked, still looking at the floored stim.

Sabine took a moment before answering.

"Only one more." She said. "I need to get more."

Hera knew it was routine for Sabine, the girl would gain her allowance...and she'd almost immediately go out to use it to spend on her glitterstim. It was upsetting to see, and it was hard for Kanan or herself to give her the credits knowing fully what she'd use it on. They were enabling her problems. They were at fault just as much as she was.

That also had to stop.

"Do you?"

Sabine brought herself to look back up at Hera, who was leaning against the wall next to her.

"They don't call it an addiction for nothing..." Sabine replied. "Without this stuff..."

"Without it, you'll be healthier." Hera told her.

Sabine curled her lips, tilted her head. She really didn't need to hear this right now.

"Depends on your definition of healthy."

Hera crossed her arms, and looked at Sabine a little sternly.

"I know one definition isn't injecting oneself until they die." She informed Sabine, perhaps a little too sternly.

"You don't think I know that?" Sabine whispered softly.

"Then why don't you stop?"

The addict looked at her Twi'lek friend. In her green eyes, Sabine could see only judgment. She liked her, but she was starting to annoy her. She wanted to relax and trip in peace...this part of the day was basically all that she looked forward to after a mission now. It's all she looked forward to in life.

And Hera was spoiling it.

"Will you just get out!?" Sabine yelled at her, getting up from the wall and waving her hand dismissively. "You think I want to hear lectures about my drug use? You think I don't know that I have a problem?"

Sabine walked up to her table and rested her fingertips against it, and hung her head. She closed her eyes, felt her muscles quiver and ears ring.

"You think I don't know this is hurting me...?" She whispered again.

Hera felt bad. She came on too strong...she wasn't an expert on handling drug addicts but she should've known better to approach Sabine's problems like that. This needed to be helped in a slow, steady and sympathetic way.

Sabine was a victim, not a criminal.

"I'm sorry, Sabine..." Hera said, walking and reaching out to her. "I just want you to be okay. Please, let me help y-"

"I am happy, Hera!" Sabine told her, turning around and making her back off. "For as long as I have my fix...I'm happy. What does it matter to you? You wanted me in the crew for my skills, didn't you? Well you got them."

Sabine breathed heavily for a while. She was briefly furious. But she calmed herself, and her face showed a hint of guilt. But she couldn't express that right now. She simply turned around and waved at her. At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to have some peace.

"Hera, just...leave me alone." She asked quietly as she looked down at her table again.

Hera realised that she wouldn't be able to get to Sabine right now. She took a wrong approach, and had to wait her opportunity for the next time.

"We'll talk later, Sabine." Hera told her, also quietly.

Hera left Sabine in her room, who was left to contemplate. Her session was ruined now, she couldn't enjoy it anymore. Although she didn't want to hear it, she knew everything Hera said was true. Every injection of glitterstim was killing her, yet all Sabine could think about was her next fix. What made it worse was that Sabine understood how bad this was. But her sense couldn't overcome her cravings.

The girl sat down at her table. She looked at her arms, which where shaking.

 _"I have to stop doing this..."_ Sabine told herself, clenching her fists to stop the quivering.

She removed her gloves. Underneath she saw her veins bulging in her wrists, and numerous red spots littered her flesh, marking each injection like a disease. It was hideous. Just looking at herself, she could see she was destroying her own body.

 _"If this doesn't stop...I won't be a Spectre for very long..."_

Sabine buried her face into her hands. Not even the intense effects of the drugs could stop her from crying.

She was killing herself, and couldn't stop it.

* * *

Sabine sat crossed-legged at the table in The Lounge, tapping her feet impatiently. It was that time of week that she would be given her allowance. All the crew members made a system that divided the credits they earned between each other. After all the mandatory supplies such as fuel and food were acquired, the remaining amount would go towards their allowances. It was money they could spend on whatever they wanted. Zeb liked to buys tracks for his music device, Kanan liked to spend some time at the local bars, and Hera...didn't spend it on anything. One could assume she liked to keep her credits for the essentials, or a rainy day.

Sabine's spending was obvious. And she needed more credits than the rest of them. She felt like a leech, like she dumped her problems into someone else's hands and expected them to help her. Previously she satisfied her addiction on her own. But now she had a crew, and they wanted to help her. It also meant that Sabine could get them to pay for her glitterstim. It didn't feel good to do at all, but she couldn't resist her cravings and was willing to endure the embarrassment if it meant sating the addiction.

That was her mindset. All she could think about was the damn glitterstim.

"Hey, Sabine."

She looked up and saw Kanan walk in. The man had some credit chits in his hand, counting the amount they were worth. This is the part Sabine would briefly dread. How much would she be given? On some weeks she got a generous amount, on others not much at all. It would equate to how much drug she would get...and Sabine didn't want to go through any kind of withdrawal. Ransacking imperial warehouses was an example of how far she was willing to go just to get her next fix, and not worry about the pain that came with withdrawal.

"Here you go, Sabine." Kanan said as he placed the chit down on the table.

Sabine sat there for a moment. Despite the temptation, she didn't want to immediately reach for them, otherwise she'd look desperate and even more pathetic. But she saw that Kanan took a seat opposite her, resting his arms on the table. He looked at her, and so she looked at him.

"You seem tense." Kanan noted. "You alright?"

Sabine shrugged. There were few things in the world that truly made her feel alright, these days.

"Yeah...I'm fine." She said quietly. "Everyone seems to be asking me that, these days."

Kanan nodded, smiled. That was true. He and Hera were quite intent on making sure the new blood was making themselves comfortable within The Spectres.

"Because we care." He told her.

Sabine sat silently for a moment. Her legs uncrossed, and she sat up.

"Why?" She asked.

"Why?" He repeated.

"It's just...we barely know each other."

Truthfully Sabine didn't know a whole lot about Kanan, or the rest of them. And they knew even less about her...all they knew about her was that she was once an Imperial Cadet, if only because Sabine knew it meant she could offer useful information about The Empire.

The rest, was all blank.

"Gotta start somewhere." Kanan said with a chuckle. "Besides, you've been at my side for months now. I'd say that makes us a bit closer, don't you think?"

"Well...we were shooting at each other when we first met." She smiled faintly.

"I seem to remember the shooting coming from just you..." He told her, humorously. "But we did ambush you, so I suppose it evens out."

There was another moment of silence.

"Listen, Sabine..." He began sincerely. "If you have any problems...any issues...anything at all? Please don't be afraid to talk to us about it."

Sabine had a considerate look on her face. She knew she was with good people. Anyone who is willing to point a blaster at The Empire is doing something right, at least. But...she gave her trust before, and at every turn she was betrayed. She couldn't be sure if history wouldn't just repeat itself.

Maybe this was her punishment. Her karma. For what she did on Mandalore...

"Kanan..." She softly spoke his name. "I know that you've been kind to me. Hera too. Even Garazeb and your droid...but there are some things I have to handle on my own."

Kanan looked down at the table. He absorbed her words. Then he pushed the credit chits to her side of the table. He knew it wouldn't go to a good cause, however...but he had faith that they could turn the life of this girl around.

"No one should have to deal with anything alone, Sabine."

Kanan stood up, nodded at the girl, then left her alone at the table. Sabine then finally reached for the credits, counting them in her hands. It seemed like a satisfactory amount.

The Mandalorian sighed, stood up and took her credits as she made her way out the ship. When she got outside, she looked over the credit chits again, recounting them.

"Going shopping?"

The voice spoke out from behind. Sabine looked around, and saw Hera standing on the ramp, leaning on the ship with her arms crossed. Sabine pocketed the credits as she turned to face her.

"Well...you know my routine." Sabine said.

Hera nodded.

"I do."

The Twi'lek walked down the ramp, towards the Mandalorian. Hera learned from the last attempt to get Sabine to knock off her addiction, and was ready to take a different approach.

"I wish it could be different for you." Hera said, looking at her sympathetically.

Sabine's eyes trailed from her briefly.

"So did I." She admitted. "But...it is what it is."

"Well, just because something is...doesn't mean it must always be."

That was Hera's attempt at a deep quote. She wondered if it was effective.

"Hera...we've been here before, is there a point you want to make?"

Sabine asked that gently, but it was clear there was an impatient intent.

"Let me help you." Hera told her, taking a step forward.

She was a valued member of the crew. She wanted her to feel as welcome as possible.

"Hera..."

"I'm sorry for coming on too strong, earlier." Hera apologised. "But I don't want to see you hurt yourself anymore, Sabine. It's...upsetting for me and Kanan to give you your allowance, knowing what you spend it on."

Sabine slowly nodded in acknowledgment. It was clear to her that Hera really cared about her well-being. It's been so long since anyone else did.

"Do you...understand what it means to be addicted, Hera?"

"Well...Kanan used to be quite the drinker." Hera said. "But me? No."

Drinking addiction? Sabine was confident that wasn't as bad as being addicted to stims.

"Well, it's like...I'm in a box." Sabine whispered, closing her eyes.

"The box protects me from everything outside, from all the things that want to hurt me. As long as I'm in the box, I'll be fine. Or so I think...see, while I'm in that box? I'm crying. I'm crying a lot, because of what's outside."

The girl's face showed some effort.

"Soon, that box will fill with my own tears. More and more. Until eventually...I drown."

She opened her eyes slowly.

"You say you want to help me...and I believe you." She gave a nod. "But what if there is no way to help me? There are only two ways my drug addiction can end. Both of them aren't good."

Hera thought about Sabine's use of imagery. About the box. About everything outside it. About her tears. About how this could end. Hera wouldn't let Sabine drown...at least she would have a chance if she stepped out the box, no matter how painful it would be.

"What are you afraid of, Sabine?" She asked. "What is the box protecting you from?"

Sabine rubbed her arm. They were approaching a dangerous territory of her life, now. She didn't want to go into that.

"Look, Hera...there's a reason why I started using stims." She told her. "There's a reason why I'm so desperate to get it. If I lose it, if I come clean...it may be a life not worth living."

A life dominated by guilt, loneliness and betrayal.

"You have me." Hera said, placing her hand on her shoulder. "And Kanan, Zeb. Chopp is rather annoying but you have him too. We're all here. We will do whatever it takes to help you get through this."

Hera then placed her other hand on the other shoulder.

"Please." She softly begged. "Please don't throw your life away."

Sabine looked into those green eyes and saw sympathy. She saw sincerity, a willingness to help.

She didn't see any judgment. Not like before.

"If not for yourself? Then for me."

It had been a long time since Sabine felt like someone truly cared for her, valued her. It was a feeling she greatly missed. Sabine didn't feel like life was worth living for some time...perhaps this crew could change that. But the only way she would know for sure, is if she stuck around long enough to find out.

The drug use had to stop. But was she prepared?

"I'm scared about what I'll have to face." Sabine admitted. "I...don't think I could do it even I wanted to, Hera. See..."

She rubbed her neck.

"Before you recruited me, there were a few times where I was unable to get my next fix in time." She told her. "I had to suffer some withdrawal. And it was...horrible. It made me feel dead."

The first withdrawal she experienced was so bad that Sabine realised just how dependant she was on glitterstim. She didn't believe she could function without it.

"As I said, that was just a few times. And I never let it progress for too long." Sabine went on. "It's not just physical pain too...like I said, there were reasons why I took it in the first place."

Hera understood. She didn't know much about Sabine's past...but she couldn't imagine it was pleasant.

"You were alone then." Hera reminded. "You're not, now. We'll face whatever comes together."

The Twi'lek took the girl's hands and held them comfortingly. It made Sabine smile faintly. It was the way her mother used to hold her.

In a way, Hera was turning into a bit of a mother-figure. Sabine...liked that.

"If my life means so much to you..." Sabine began quitely. "Then...okay. Okay. I'll try for you."

Hera gave a warming smile. One of her hands moved down the girl's arm delicately.

"Do or do not." Hera said. "There is no try."

Sabine looked at her, confused.

"It's...just a saying. Kanan's said it a few times."

Sabine looked down at herself, and reached into one of her pouches. She brought something up to Hera. In her hands was a stim. Her last one.

"I guess we'll find out how wise Kanan is, then."

Sabine let the stim fall out of her hand, and it dropped to the floor. Hera was beyond pleased, and she hugged the girl. Sabine didn't return her affection, she only looked up with fearful eyes. She knew this was going to be very unpleasant...but at least this way, she could have a chance.

 _"The route to recovery..."_

* * *

"I guess we're doing this, then?"

In the evening, Zeb was sat at the table with Hera, Kanan and Chopper in The Lounge. The two were discussing their plans to help Sabine recover from her drug addiction after the girl made the decision to quit. It was good news, but they all had to play their part to ensure she got through this.

"Yes. I've done plenty research." Hera told them. "And Sabine gave me some requests."

Hera glanced at Chopper.

"Chopper, you're not to irritate her in any way" Hera commanded. "You could make her stressed, and that's the last thing she needs."

The droid let out a long but affirmative drone. She then looked at Zeb.

"Zeb, give Sabine your music device. She said music could help distract her from her cravings."

Zeb didn't like that, he loved playing some music at breakfast as he tucked into some space waffles. But...he had to oblige. He nodded, and then Hera looked at Kanan.

"We can't just cut her off from substances right away, or it'll really hurt her. Any chance we could find a less harmful subsititue? Then we could give her controlled doses, lowering them over time."

"I can try. Glitterstim is a spice. I'm sure there'll be something that we can get instead." Kanan nodded. "A prescribed drug, or something."

Hera nodded back.

"I'll be her...emotional support." Hera supposed. "She'll need someone at her side, every step of the way."

Hera gave a glance to them all.

"But that still means you all have to be as supportive as possible."

It was going to be a dark tunnel for Sabine to go through. She had to know there would be light at the end of it.

Hera was committed, and so was the rest of them. That was good. They could really make this work.

"Good, I'll go check on her now."

Hera stood up and swiftly made her way to Sabine's cabin. Since Sabine was going to need regular support, Hera was given permission to come in whenever she wanted. Sabine liked her privacy, but she wanted to kick this addiction even more.

Hera entered, and saw Sabine lying on her bunk. She was just on her back, hands together and looking up. She seemed so peaceful.

"Sabine?"

Hera approached. Sabine looked at her, then turned to sit up. She looked down at Hera.

"Everyone's committed." Hera told her. "Even Chopper agreed to not annoy you."

Sabine chuckled. Then sighed.

"Well, I guess we're really doing this, then."

"This is a good thing, Sabine." Hera assured her.

Sabine wasn't so sure...but she knew she'd find out.

"Like I said, it won't be easy." Sabine reminded her.

"How...uh, bad will it be?" Hera asked hesitantly. "The withdrawal, I mean."

Sabine thought about it. Again, she only had tastes of it...but it was bad enough then. She knew that, if she was committed, it was going to be much worse.

"It won't be like in the holovids." Sabine said, kicking her legs a bit over her bunk. "I won't be yelling and screaming on the floor...heh, I hope."

That would be a funny sight, Sabine supposed.

"But it will hurt. But I said I'd try...and I'm going to give it my all." She promised.

Then, a small, sly smile appeared on her face.

"Besides, you'll be my slave the whole time." She remarked with a grin. "And the others. Best get some enjoyment out of it, right?"

Hera let out a small laugh. It was good to be optimistic about this.

"You should smile more." Hera told her. "It makes you look prettier."

Sabine got a little flushed over that comment. She trailed her eyes away from Hera. Her smile however grew.

"Thanks for the advice." She muttered.

It made Sabine realise. She really didn't smile much at all.

Maybe, one day, that could change.

* * *

The next few days would prove to be tough work for Hera. She found herself making very frequent visits to Sabine's room. What she saw varied a lot. Sometimes, she'd find Sabine resting calmly. Or, she was walking around in circles endlessly. On some occasions she was blasting music in her room.

What Sabine was actually doing didn't just vary. Her health did too. As the days went by, she really deteriorated. Even with the substitute Kanan acquired for her, it didn't do much for the pain. Her addiction to glitterstim had become so advanced that any other substance wouldn't do. So Sabine could do nothing but endure. Sometimes the pain was so great, Sabine would be hitting the walls of her room with her fists to relieve agony...Hera had to stop her several times so she wouldn't break her knuckles. When those phases of pain temporarily passed, Sabine sulked. She'd complain about how awful this decision was, about how she never should've listened to Hera. Sometimes she'd even curse out Hera, blame her for all the pain she was going through. Once, she even said she regretted even joining their crew.

It looked like Sabine downright hated her, at times.

But Hera didn't mind. She knew that wasn't Sabine talking, but just the addiction itself. She knew there was a good heart under all that trouble, it's why she wanted Sabine in the crew to begin with. Eventually, when the withdrawal finally passed and Sabine had detoxified, she'd know for sure.

Hera found Kanan managing their supplies in the cargo hold. She climbed down the stairs so she could talk to him. The two had been discussing Sabine's state quite a lot.

"Day eight." Hera sighed. "I don't know if things are getting any better."

Kanan took a moment from his work to face her.

"They will...don't lost hope." Kanan told her. "The last thing Sabine needs is for you to lose optimism."

"I won't." Hera said sternly, confidently.

The two stood silently for a moment.

"She hasn't been getting much sleep." Hera noted. "I wanted to give her something to help, but...I didn't-"

"Didn't want to give her drugs, I know." Kanan nodded.

Kanan crossed his arms, shuffled his stance a bit.

"It won't truly ever go away, you know." He began. "The addiction, I mean."

Hera just blinked.

"Even after someone finally goes clean, they'll always...have those temptations. Sabine will know what the stims did for her, she'll miss them. She could easily slip in the future."

"She could get addicted again?" Hera asked, concern in her eyes.

"Only if we let her." He replied. "Sabine...I sense a lot of guilt in her. She's got a lot of weight on her shoulders. It feels very fresh...and raw."

Whatever Sabine was feeling, it had only became sensed by Kanan because her emotions and feelings were becoming clear to her, since she stopped taking stims. Kanan knew how it felt...his heavy use of alcohol was because he wanted to forget.

He imagined Sabine was in a similar situation.

"So what do we do?" Hera asked.

"We make sure she never has an excuse to use stims again."

* * *

Hera quietly approached the door to Sabine's cabin. It was a bit of a gamble what state Sabine would be in, but Hera always checked on her regardless. It was her duty.

She had a bowl of ice-cream in her hands. Since Sabine was going through a tough time, Hera did what she could to lighten up her day. Who doesn't get a bit happier from ice cream?

"I hope someone here likes chocolate ice cream." She said with a smile as she walked in.

That smile quickly faded. The bunk was empty, as was the table. Instead, she saw a small, hunched figure in the dark corner. They were sat down, knees to their face, and arms around their legs. They were looking right down, their fading red hair hiding their face.

Hera quickly placed the bowl on the table, then crouched down in front of them.

"Sabine? Are you alright?"

The girl slowly looked up at them, before her eyes trailed down again. she didn't say a word. Her face was plastered with misery. Hera went to sit next to her...she reached a hand out to comfort her, but was hesitant.

"Honey?"

That tender term got a small reaction out of Sabine. She closed her eyes, almost like she absorbed the word.

Hera could see she was so pale.

"Every bone in my body...hurts." Sabine began in a weak whisper. "Every muscle...aches."

She held her hands out to herself. She saw them quivering, shaking. She couldn't stop it.

Sabine placed her hands around her legs again.

"But none of that compares...to what's going on in my head."

Hera shuffled a bit, getting a better look at her face.

"What do you mean, Sabine?" She asked gently.

"Remember when I told you, when I said that I had a good reason for using stims in the first place?" Sabine reminded her. "Well...everything that I feared would happen...is happening. Everything is coming back to me."

"What's coming back to you?"

Sabine looked up at the ceiling, closed her eyes once again.

"The pain."

"I can't give you any painkillers, Sabine." Hera said apologetically.

Sabine shook her head slowly.

"Not that kind of pain." She said, her tone so whispery Hera almost couldn't hear her. "Many people think addicts like me are just...stupid, that we didn't know what we were doing. That couldn't be more untrue...I knew exactly what I was doing."

Her arms moved from her legs, and wrapped around themselves. Like she was cold.

"I was forgetting my pain."

Hera was trying to be as considerate as possible. But she couldn't see through Sabine's riddles.

"What do you mean, dear?" She asked, scooting even closer.

Sabine's face gave a small smile, but it almost looked like she was about to burst into tears. That was brief, until her face was blank again.

"You call me things...like Honey and Dear...like I'm a good person."

"You are." Hera assured her.

Sabine finally turned her head, making eye contact with Hera. Her glittery brown eyes spoke so much on their own.

"You don't know me, Hera." Sabine told her. "None of you do."

She turned her head away again.

"You don't know what I've done."

Hera remembered back to what Kanan said. About how he could sense guilt inside Sabine. Using that, she could begin to piece together things.

Sabine was talking about her past.

"Tell me." Hera suggested. "What's bothering you? What's wrong?"

A lot of weight on her shoulders, Kanan described it.

"It's a long story." Sabine dismissed the idea of discussing it.

"And I have plenty time." Hera replied.

Sabine looked at her again. She looked into the Twi'lek's face. Was it a face she could trust?

"I couldn't even trust my own mother's face." She thought. "How much worse could this possibly be?"

What did she have to lose at this point? She'd already lost everything before.

"I've always had a talent." Sabine began her long story. "Exceptional at all my subjects, weapons especially. A genius- prodigy even. That's what The Academy said. The Imperial Academy."

A place that turned out to be the worst thing in her life.

"Parents didn't want me going there, but I didn't care. I wanted to prove myself and that was the best place to do it. I was so competitive...and it paid off, because I was better than everyone."

Paid off, at least in the short term.

"So I got more recognition. Hey, Sabine...you're pretty smart. Can you do this?" She went on. "Of course, I could. I could do anything with weapons."

The more she impressed, the more she was praised. Promises of a great future began to fill her head, and she had no intention of disappointing.

Sabine's face tightened. She laid her head back, unable to hold back an ironic smile.

"I was so stupid..." She shook her head. "Just a dumb girl, who did everything she was told...followed orders blindly."

The orders grew more ambitious. And Sabine continued to serve.

"You were an Imperial." Hera stated as she touched her shoulder. "So what? You're not anymore. You were just a cadet...it's not your fault."

"I wish I could say that...but when you've seen the effect your work had on others..." She swallowed. "On friends...even family...how could I not blame myself?"

Sabine would never forget the sight of smouldering armour...the smell of burning flesh...

"I wanted to stop it...but my own Clan, my own blood...they turned their backs on me, I was left with nothing!"

Sabine felt a bit of the raw emotions she felt long ago when she was first betrayed by them. Feeling it was one of the things she feared most from this withdrawal, from this recovery.

"Sabine..."

"It doesn't stop there." Sabine told her. "I escaped Mandalore, escaped everything I ever loved. For a while I...had a friend. She was like my sister, the only support I had left in this world. But I should've known that I didn't deserve it, because she betrayed me too."

Ketsu was her only link to stability left. Sabine thought she could've pieced her life back together with her...instead it was shattered even more.

"For credits!" She exclaimed, her voice shakey.

Sabine tightened up even more, tears silently falling. She was being hit with wave after wave of emotions, emotions that she never wanted to feel again.

Hera wrapped her arm around Sabine, and held her closely. Sabine didn't resist, and she cried in silence.

"I suppose...it was karma at work." Sabine said. "I mean, why should anything go right for me? Terrible people...deserve terrible things."

Hera only continued to be as compassionate as possible.

"The fact you're in tears about it, proves you're not a bad person." Hera assured her. "Not to me, not to anyone."

Sabine was silent. But she doubted Hera. She wondered what her own family must think of her now.

"Hera...I took drugs because I wanted to escape the pain." Sabine whispered. "You convinced me to stop...and I hope I will. But you have to know...I can't handle another betrayal in my life. I have to know you'll be with me, when my family and friends weren't."

She had been manipulated, played, misled...but if her trust was broken once more...then stopping her addiction would be pointless.

"I will never betray you." Hera promised. "Me, Kanan, Zeb and Chopper...we're all like a family. And I hope you can come to see yourself as apart of it."

Sabine let a little, sincere smile appear.

"I know I haven't been the most grateful person but...you guys are honestly the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

The two of them sat silently for a while. Sabine controlled her emotions, and Hera was there for her the whole time. The shaking in her fingers had stopped, and some colour began to return to her face.

"Don't tell anyone." Sabine said. "It's...not a story I want to share."

"It's your story, Sabine." Hera told her. "The only one who should tell it, is you."

Sabine was...very pleased with the outcome of this conversation. As was Hera. Sabine not only got a heavy weight off her heart, but she now knew she had good reason to kick her addiction.

"Thank you, Hera."

She was on the full route to recovery, and she was moving at lightspeed.

* * *

Zeb groaned at the sound of loud rock music outside his room. The Lasat was trying to get an extra bit of morning sleep, but that was impossible with these tracks smashing into his ears, which he knew was coming from his own stereo. This music wasn't even the sort he liked...much louder, more aggressive. More tracks had been added since he had it last.

Eventually, he got up from his bed with a snarl. He had enough. Zeb walked out the door, and took a single step towards the cabin opposite his. He began banging his fist against the door.

"Sabine, will you turn that down!?" He yelled.

Inside the room, Sabine was looking at her wall. She was marking with a pen.

"Sorry, Zeb! I can't hear you!" She yelled back with a smile.

She could...but she enjoyed messing with Zeb. It was a personal enjoyment of hers.

"SABINE, STOP-"

The music only got louder, and Zeb swore he could feel vibrations. He just gave up, let out another groan and raised his hands up in defeat. He may as well consider this an alarm, and walked down the corridor into The Lounge. He really needed to take that stereo back from Sabine, but Hera insisted that he let Sabine keep it.

 _"She's a teen, she needs her loud music more than you do."_ He remembered what he was told.

When Sabine could tell Zeb was gone, she turned the music back down. She then looked back at her wall. Pinned on it, was a calendar. She had been marking the days that passed.

"Forty days clean." She said, pleased with herself.

Today was particularly important. Nobody else knew, but today she turned sixteen. Sabine didn't tell because she knew the crew would feel obliged to do something for her birthday. But Sabine didn't want that.

 _"They've already done so much for me."_

She took a step back and admired the wall. Every since she kicked her addiction, Sabine felt happier. She didn't have to worry about her next fix all the time, she didn't have to look at her own arms in disgust, and she didn't have to feel ashamed whenever she got her allowance. Now she could use her money on other things...art.

She truly felt free.

Sabine turned around to look at the rest of her room. The walls were much brighter than they were not long ago. Vibrant colours were beginning to coat the dull greys. It was a work in progress...but Sabine was sure it would look nice once she was done.

 _"This is my addiction, now."_

It was much healthier. Sabine feared that only pain waited for her when she stopped using glitterstim, but it wasn't the case. Thanks to her family, her new family, she was able to start moving on. Sabine didn't think she could ever be able to forget the past, but she knew she could put it behind her.

 _"That was a different life."_ Sabine thought. _"This is my life now."_

An insurgent. A freedom fighter.

A Rebel.

Sabine turned her attention to her armour. It was left drying on the floor, after finally being given a coat of paint to go over that dull plain grey. She spent a lot of time on the details, so she hoped she looked good once she was wearing it. But that wasn't it, Sabine then approached the mirror on her wall, and looked at herself. She took particular notice of her brown hair, and brushed a hand through it.

 _"Hmm..."_

Well, she bought them for a reason. She reached out for a couple things on her shelf. Small tubes of various colours. Pinks, whites, blues, greens, reds, yellows...Sabine looked at them for quite a while, until she eventually picked out two colours she liked.

 _"It's time for a new Sabine."_

* * *

A while later in The Galley, the rest of the crew were eating at the table. The discussion they were having was nothing unusual, just thinking about plans they had for today. After Sabine finally kicked her addiction, the mood in the ship became much more positive. Everyone...just felt like they could be themselves again. While Sabine wasn't exactly the most sociable still, everyone could tell she was much happier.

She smiled more. As Hera said, smiles look good on Sabine.

"I'm going to send Sabine on our supply run today." Hera told the boys.

"You always send her." Zeb muttered.

"Yes, because we women can read better." Hera said cheekily.

Kanan chuckled, but Zeb rolled his eyes. It wasn't his fault that there was a great distinction between space waffles and regular waffles.

They heard footsteps as someone else entered the room. Sabine had walked in, and she got all their heads turning. Hera looked at her with some shock.

"Sabine..." She began. "You look so..."

Different. The Mandalorian gave herself a real makeover. Her silvery armour was now a pink, with unique details of her own design marking it. On her right pauldron was a checkered black-and-white pattern, on the left was an orange marked with some kind of beast.

It was...definitely a unique take on Mandalorian armour.

"Don't get a nose-bleed, guys." Sabine said as she flicked her hair, chuckling.

That was different too. Sabine had dyed it blue, the front section specifically dyed orange. It was a good contrast, and worked quite well with her skin tone.

"You definitely look...rebellious." Kanan said. "It suits you."

Sabine gave a small twirl before casually approaching the table. She took a seat next to Hera, and she rubbed her hands at the sight of breakfast. There was a plate of waffles, which she reached for.

"They're the wrong ones, Sabine." Kanan told her. "Zeb screwed up on basic reading comprehension."

"Screw you, Kanan."

"Ah, it's fine." Sabine casually waved her hand before taking a waffle and eating it.

It didn't taste the same, but Sabine learned to appreciate everything just that bit more.

As Sabine ate, Hera simply watched her companion with her elbow on the table. The girl beside her was, not too long ago, a very troubled vagrant. Now? She was truly apart of The Spectres. Just looking at her, she could see how far she had come.

"Oh, Sabine..."

Sabine looked at Hera, still munching. She wasn't ready for the hug that Hera gave her, as the woman wrapped her arms around her. She stopped eating for a moment, a bit flushed. But soon she eased up, and returned the affection. The pair of them gave a long, warming embrace. The men in the room didn't understand why, it looked so random.

But Sabine and Hera knew.


	8. Teenagers

**_Season 2, sometime after Stealth Strike._**

* * *

Ezra was watching the holonews in The Lounge of the ship, lying on his back after a long day. He was flicking through many different channels, all of it Imperial propaganda. There was never anything interesting on. The entertainment industry must really be struggling when The Empire meddles in everything you do.

However, like a prayer had been answered for him, a different form of entertainment entered the room. A form with blue hair, tanned skin, and brown eyes.

Ezra's favourite combination in a girl.

"Bored, huh?" She said, stepping over to him, looking so delicate in her pyjamas. "Anything I can do to help with that?"

She looked down at him, hand on hip. Just studying her...Ezra was mesmerised. He could see a little gap between her top and shorts, revealing some of her stomach. Her thin shirt made her darker sports bra visible underneath. She was...the definition of healthy.

Ezra smiled stupidly and nodded. She smiled too, though without the stupid, more seductive.

"Yeah, that's what I thought"

She raised one of her toned legs, her balance kept so perfectly with her athletics, and stepped over Ezra. Her feet were planted at both sides of him. Just by starting from her naked feet and looking up, there was just...so much perfect brown skin to form this sexy shape. She moved down till the bigger girl was on top of him, she wasn't that heavy though.

Ezra didn't dare breathe. Didn't dare blink. Her face was so close, he could feel her breath on his face. Smelled like mint.

"Guh..." He practically gushed over her.

She chuckled and brushed her hair aside, then flicking it. Good grief, she was beautiful. Never underestimate how a Mandalory might look underneath that blank T-Shaped visor helmet. He placed his hands on her firm shoulders, touching her lovely skin, and her nicely toned arms.

She was taking charge, though...and didn't let him relish in touching her for long. She took his hands and pinned them not-to-harshly above his head. Seemed she was dominant...Ezra was okay with that. She moved close, hungrily pressing her lips against him, feeling that little release of air from his nose every time she pushed. Even giving a nip with her teeth. He didn't even feel it.

"Mmm" She savoured him, continuing to taste him like he was her lunch.

In the middle of an embrace, their foreheads came together as they both purred. Black hair mixing with blue, blue and brown eyes shut as they relished the moment. She let go of his hands and placed them on his back, gripping him and pressing him real good against her, squeaking as she did so when air escaped her when their chests pressed together. If she didn't stop being so cute yet dom at the same time, Ezra would have to hug her tightly and never let go, and protect this specimen.

When they finally parted, she raised herself to sit on him.

"I wonder, Ezra..." She began curiously with a head-tilt, finger slowly trailing down his chest. "How much of a man...are you?"

Ezra eagerly grinned and closed his eyes as she shuffled down his body. He began laying his head back, and relaxed. This is when the fun began. Oh, he had so many fun ideas on how to progress after this...he'd have fun tearing off those clothes, for example. Hm, maybe he'd make her learn when it was time for the lady to be submissive?

 _"Oh boy..."_ He thought.

When she was near his crotch, she looked back up at him with a smirk.

"How do you like it, kid?" She asked...in a gruff, manly voice.

Ezra shot his eyes open and looked down at her, the sound of the different yet familiar voice alarmed him. He screamed in horror when he saw Zeb looking up at him, that beautiful girl replaced with an old Lasat, that stupid smirk still on their face. His erection immediately died, as if taken out back and executed. With a lightsaber.

"AAAHHH!" He yelled, wriggling his legs free underneath the large man. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

He kicked with his legs desperately and turned over, face-planting into the floor.

"...kid?" He could hear them speak as things went black.

* * *

Ezra groaned as his face was smushed against the metal floor. He got his hands underneath him and pushed, balancing himself up, getting on his knees. He saw Zeb looking down at him, the Lasat was pointing and laughing. Ezra scanned the environment, rubbing his sore nose.

 _"In the cabin..."_ He realised. _"Just a dream..."_

Just a damn dream. Seemed he'd fallen out of bed as Zeb tried to wake him up for the day to start. He glanced at his roommate, but turned away in disgust. He didn't want to see his ugly face again for the rest of the day, but he'd no doubt be stuck with him. This dream, that...image...would be stuck in his brain forever.

Meanwhile, seeing Ezra faceplanted on the floor would be forever stuck in Zeb's.

"After all the times you've waken me from my sleep? I'd say that was well-deserved" Zeb grinned as he turned and made his way out, his day already made. "Best get ready, kid. Before I eat all that's for breakfast"

Ezra was left in the room on his own. He grunted as he stood up. Breakfast wasn't his concern right now. He felt disappointed, that dream was getting so good and then...the ultimate boner-crushing experience.

"Great, can't even get some from her in my fantasies" He muttered.

Probably the closest he'll ever get to the real thing...that made him a bit miserable. But oh well, he couldn't let it bother him. It was just a dream. And he had better things to be concerned about. Like...Jedi training! So he stretched his limbs, got out of his pyjamas and got dressed into the only set of clothes he had.

 _"Gee, I need new clothes..."_ told himself.

It crossed his mind briefly about how the subject of his fantasies would feel about him getting a new look, but he flushed that thought out quickly.

He felt a little embarrassed right now, honestly.

* * *

Sabine removed her helmet and yawned after emerging from the ladders of the cargo hold. She didn't get much sleep last night. Hera had sent her out to retrieve a sensitive package for The Rebellion very early in the day, being the fastest and most reliable of The Spectres for such a job. Sabine wanted to sleep right now but there were no days off in The Rebellion. She'd no doubt be needed later, so she needed to stay awake.

She entered the lounge, where she saw Hera doing some maintenance on a deactivated Chopper.

"Spectre Five back home" She said with another yawn. "Hope that sensitive package was worth it. Had to make a run all the way to Phoenix Command before coming back"

Hera stood up from her work for a moment, and looked at Sabine. As they conversed, the men of the crew were in The Galley having breakfast. Ezra was doing his best to not look at Zeb at the table, and Kanan was listening to news on a radio.

"I can always rely on you, Sabine" Hera told her. "I appreciate you getting up on lack of notice, it really was important. I'll pass out assignments to the boys and hope they can fill the day for you...but no promises. Always things needing to be done"

That's what Sabine feared. She had a slight hope her day could've been a free one, but again...there were no days off in The Rebellion. She'd try her best to stay awake for today despite lack of sleep. She hoped all the caf wasn't getting used up in The Galley.

"Thanks, Hera" She said, feeling a bit bitter...but she may as well be polite.

She put on a smile, but it soon faded. Sabine fidgeted uncomfortably, grunting. She adjusted the waist of her trousers, and tugged against the area covering her crotch. She had been doing this for a while now, it had been distracting on her assignment.

"You alright?" Hera asked.

"Yeah, just...stuff, it's happening again" Sabine muttered, flexing her thighs a bit and getting a chuckle out of her friend. "Nothing irregular I think, but it's annoying. I need some caffeine in my blood, and something in my stomach. I'll let you work, Hera"

Sabine left her friend to continue working on Chopper, and she headed into The Galley where the boys were. She looked at what was on the table, whatever wasn't already eaten by Zeb, but none of it appealed to her. Ezra was sat next to Kanan and listening to his advice on Jedi training and whatever, Sabine didn't care. She undid her belt and placed the equipment casually on the table. Sabine then just looked around the compartments of The Galley, seeking something that'd suit her fancy.

"We went shopping not long ago, don't tell me you guys..." She muttered as she reached around. "Where have you all hidden it...?"

Kanan took a brief moment to stop lecturing Ezra when he noticed Sabine's scourging.

"Sabine, your cereal is in the left one" He told her. "It's always the left one"

"Thank you, Kanan..." Sabine sighed. "But it's not what I want, today..."

She wanted something sweeter. It's what the hormone gods demanded, and would soon be demanding much more.

"Yeah, you're welcome..." The Jedi muttered also, sarcastically.

Kanan went back to talking to Ezra, but Ezra wasn't listening. He was just watching Sabine, carefully through the corner of his eye so it wasn't obvious. It seemed like she was in a slight, irritable pain. When Kanan was done talking with him, Ezra felt like he was cluttering The Galley with everyone but Chopper and Hera being in here. So he left Kanan, Zeb and Sabine to their breakfast as he went into The Lounge.

"Ugh, Chopper you're so..." Hera vented her frustrations, trying to open one of the droids compartments. "Stiff! Ezra, can you do me a favour?"

She asked him as he was walking past her, she hadn't even looked at him.

"Yes, Hera?"

"Fetch me the vibro-driver from Sabine's cabin, would you? Should be in her drawers" She told him.

Ezra couldn't exactly refuse the captain of the ship. But he didn't feel comfortable going into Sabine's room either. What if the place was rigged to explode if someone besides her entered? He wouldn't put it above her. Against his better judgement, he decided he'd do what he was bid.

 _"Well, she's in the Galley, so..."_ He supposed. _"She won't know I went in"_

He didn't even know what a vibro-driver was, but he trusted he could figure it out.

* * *

Ezra opened the door to the colourful cabin and walked in. He never went in here, come to think of it. He sometimes stood by the door as he talked to Sabine, but that was about it. He wasn't going to make a big deal out of it, he just needed to get that tool. He looked around a bit and saw what he assumed to be her maintenance drawer.

Four shelves. Great. He opened the first, and saw a bunch of custom detonators roll about in the shelf.

 _"Well that's typical"_ He said to himself.

Second drawer, some sketchbooks and crayons. Sabine would kill him if he touched these, so he left those alone. Then he opened the third drawer, and saw a bunch of unrecognisable objects. This shelf was kept in better order, perhaps that's where this vibro-driver was. He reached in and pulled out a packet. Ezra read the label.

"Tam...pons?" He read it to himself. "Tampons? What are those?"

It looked strange though. Some kind of...cotton. It had already been opened, this packet. He wondered what use these would have for art or explosives or weapons. Seemed relatively...insignificant and likely not what Hera wanted. He put it back where he found it and looked around the shelf a little more, and he pulled out something more solid. It was some kind of plastic object with electronic workings...somewhat bulb-like shape. He pressed the button that was on it, and the bulb began to vibrate in his hands.

"Huh"

Well, it vibrates. This must've been what Hera meant. He took the object and closed the drawers, then swiftly left Sabine's room.

 _"There, she'll never know"_ He thought, pleased with himself.

He found Hera again, who was close to hitting Chopper, and he handed the device to her when she reached for it behind, not looking from Chopper. Ezra watched as The Pilot held the device, but then she immediately noticed something was wrong, and she recognised what sort of tool had been handed to her. Hera stood up, and looked at Ezra. She held the device up to him. Her face began to really struggle not to burst out with laughter.

Ezra knew, deep down, that he screwed up somehow.

"Ezra, this..." She struggled to say. "Never mind, put it back before Sabine-"

By that point it was too late, because Sabine had emerged from The Galley with a cup of caf and some chocolate. She would've just strolled past them without a word if the guilty glance from Hera didn't grab her attention. And seeing what she had in her hands most definitely did get her attention above all else.

 _"What in Manda is that doing in HERA'S POSSESSION!?"_ She screamed internally. _"No...no! Why?"_

Her vibrator. And it looked like Hera was showing it to Ezra, who also became alarmed to her presence.

She took a deep breathe as she stared at them both, she just wanted to hit them. Both of them. Despite how emotionally vulnerable she was right now in her current state, she wanted to keep her cool as best she could. She felt another sharp pain in her loins, and she winced.

 _"Yeah, that's what it does when I get stressed"_ She told herself.

That's what the caf and chocolate was for. To relax her.

"Guys, I really don't need this right now..." She told them calmly with effort, approaching closely. "Just...give me that, please"

Usually she'd demand an explanation, a cause, and a valid conclusion, a damn epilogue. Even if she got all that, she'd still be very angry. But right now she'd be willing to skip all that and ask another time, if she felt like it.

"Sabine, I am so sorry" Hera said, covering her mouth to stop herself from exploding. "Don't blame Ezra, he just made a small mistake. I asked him get a tool from your room. The vibro-driver?"

Sabine calmly took the object back, trying her best to not look annoyed or flustered. Regardless, her face was a burning red the whole while. As she silently walked to her cabin, she glared at Ezra with dagger eyes. If he wasn't so...ignorant!

 _"Oh no, I messed up really bad..."_ He thought, guilty.

He wasn't sure what was so bad about this tool he gave Hera, though. It seemed Sabine was very embarrassed about it.

"You're both so lucky I caught you at this time of month..." She hissed as she went into her cabin. "I'll get it..."

A short moment later, she emerged again to quickly and aggressively shove the actual vibro-driver into Hera's hands, before heading straight back to her cabin. Ezra then turned to Hera, he looked a little cross. Why couldn't Hera have just gotten the tool herself, now that he thought about it.

"Great, now she has another reason to hate me" He muttered.

"She doesn't hate you, you just get on her nerves a bit" Hera assured him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "And now I have. Everyone will be, sooner or later. Don't worry, we're in this mess together"

She smiled at him, but he didn't smile back.

"Sabine is just in a bit of a situation at the moment, don't worry it's a phase that will pass" Hera continued to elaborate. "Believe me, I know what its like"

Ezra still didn't understand. But snooping in Sabine's business never did him any good.

"What was that tool I gave you, then?" Ezra asked curiously. "The one Sabine was unhappy to see?"

Hera chuckled and shook her head. Ezra's naivety was touching.

"It's called a vibrator. You better get Sabine to explain what it's for, though" She advised him, as she turned to work on Chopper with the proper tools. "When she's in a better mood, that is. Trust me, the worst is yet to come. Better prepare yourself, because the others will be"

Ezra didn't say anything as she began checking Chopper with greater ease. He rubbed the back of his head as he walked off.

 _"What does she mean by preparing myself?"_ He wondered.

* * *

Hera was certainly not wrong when she said things would get worse. Sabine was extremely moody throughout the day, she was constantly fidgeting and complaining about everything, even insignificant details like why Zeb can't just take a bath to stop his smell, which she made a huge deal out of when previously she never would. She also insulted Kanan's ability to make caf when she requested a drink with sugar in it...and he forgot the sugar. Seeing her angsty on certain days wasn't unknown to Ezra, but today it had reached a pinnacle. He was sure there was something genuinely wrong, but one else seemed to share his concern.

Ezra regardless managed to stay out of Sabine's hair on their assignment earlier in the day together, and everything was professional as usual, nothing irregular aside from her grunts and fidgeting. Though when they had finished their mission, Sabine seemed quite fatigued which was unusual for her, she was very fit and energetic...it just wasn't something he expected from her. No matter how much Ezra asked what was wrong with Sabine, he got no good answers.

In the evening, not long before lights-out, Ezra overhead Sabine and Kanan having an argument over the last bit of iced fruit in The Galley from The Lounge, which Sabine seemed to really want but never got a shot at it. In fact, Sabine really wanted everything to do with sugar. There was a lot of noise coming from The Galley, most of the yelling was done by Sabine, however.

"Ah, women..." The Jedi said aloud, waving his hand as he walked out The Galley, passing by Ezra. "Little lady, I've never seen you this angsty out of all the times you've-"

He was interrupted when a cult was thrown at his head, and narrowly missed him. Ezra could hear Sabine muttering to herself in The Galley, mostly cursing.

"Kanan, what's up with Sabine? Please tell me" He asked his master. "She's been so...angry today. Should I be worried?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about, Ezra" Kanan told his apprentice casually. "We, as men, don't have to in general. Unless the women start needing hugs and kisses, and getting told that everything will be alright and they won't die"

At least, that was how Kanan dealt with Hera when she was in Sabine's position (though Sabine just generally seemed worse at these things) but he couldn't offer that same treatment to Sabine otherwise Hera might get jealous. Ezra was still confused, no one was giving him a straight answer with why Sabine was so bitchy today. They made it out like this was a temporary thing that they were familiar with, but this was new to Ezra.

"Try and calm her, if you can" Kanan challenged his apprentice as he left the room.

He was already wanting to see Sabine, but he took up the challenge. Ezra peeked his head into The Galley, he saw Sabine in her pyjamas (she didn't care about Kanan's rule today) discreetly eating some meiloorun fruit she pulled from a storage compartment. She certainly had some serious sugar cravings today.

"Manda, it's never been this bad..." She whined, looking down her shorts. "Ugh, am I bleeding again...? I just put a fresh one in..."

She peeked under her shorts to investigate. Ezra walked in, and Sabine quickly reacted to his presence. She stopped looking down at herself, and looked directly at him. Ezra was slightly distracted by the fact she looked just like she did in his fantasy. Though much less seductive and much more moody.

"Yeah, I'm in my sleepwear- I don't care" She told him, going back to eating. "Control your hormones, Ezra, I can barely control mine"

"Isn't that supposed to be for Hera? It's her favourite" Ezra said, gesturing to the fruit. "I don't remember you liking it"

"It's got sugar in it, right? It'll do" She said. "Besides, Hera's not in the pain I'm in"

Both physical and emotional.

"You're hurt?" He asked, concerned.

She looked back to him as she chewed, and raised an eyebrow. Hurt? Was he for real? Sabine wasn't ignorant, she knew she was being a bitch today. But she couldn't help it. She also knew that everyone would understand why she was like this, anyways.

Not Ezra, apparently.

"Ezra, I'm on my period" She told him simply, looking at him like the answer should've been obvious. "Not my first, but this is the worst one I've had, enough to be disruptive to my day. So...I'm quite angsty, and got a sugar craving I need to satisfy"

She expected to see enlightenment on his face. Maybe an "Oh!" or a "Okay, Miss Wren. I will get everything you need me to, I am yours to command." Instead, she still saw that same, confused face.

"So what's a period?" He asked.

She wondered if he had to be joking, but he had a sincere look on his face.

"Seriously?" She questioned, rubbing her scalp.

Sabine quickly assumed why he wouldn't know. No parents since being seven years old, no participation in a long-term education programme...she chuckled. That was kinda cute, Ezra being so naive.

He shrugged at her. Wow, he really was clueless. Well...he'd figure things out as he got older. But she could give him a general explanation.

"They happen monthly, though usually aren't that bad. Let's just say I'm...going through a phase" She educated him. "It involves my ever-maturing uterus, if you even know what that is. It's been giving me cramps, making me bleed, and making me stuff my mouth with sugar to make myself feel better"

He watched her put another piece of fruit in her mouth, and she munched. As she did, she was already slicing her next piece.

"Is it helping?"

She glanced at him, and swallowed.

"A bit" She supposed. "Want some?"

Ezra nodded, out of curiosity as to why their captain liked this fruit so much. Hera could excuse the lack of meilooran for a while, for Sabine's current condition. She handed a piece to Ezra. He tasted the fruit in his mouth, it was somewhat sour. He guessed that meant it had a lot of sugar.

"Are you in much pain...?" He asked attentively.

"I'll live" She whispered with a sigh. "You'll never get to know what it's like, Ezra. Boys don't get it, only girls"

As far as Sabine knew, boys got more hair and a larger penis when they went through puberty. That was easy.

 _"Alright, I won't eat any more"_ Sabine decided, pushing the fruit away and raising her hands from it. _"Hera can have the rest"_

She looked at him, and frowned. Ezra could feel something was coming, and that Sabine was done playing nice. Here came her lecturer mode...

"We need to talk about you snooping around in my room" She reminded him, pressing her finger on his shoulder and leaning a bit, getting eye-to-eye with him. "I know Hera asked you to get something and it is her ship, but it's my cabin. My personal bubble. If she wants something, she can ask me herself. Understood?"

He swallowed and nodded. He understood completely.

"Yeah, okay..." He agreed, then remembering the suggestion Hera gave him. "Hera also said that I should ask you what a vibrator is for"

Sabine took her finger off him and rolled her eyes as she stood straight. Of course Hera would say that, save herself from the embarrassing topic and give Sabine the burden instead. Well, there was no way she was going to tell little oblivious Ezra that she used it to masturbate.

"What it does isn't important, but it's very personal to me" She explained. "Certainly not something you should be showing around to people. Understood?"

Once again, he nodded and agreed. Sabine being strict and commanding quickly shattered when she felt another spike inside her. She grunted and held Ezra's shoulder, closing her eyes and tensing her face. She was starting to reach a breaking point with how irritating this was.

"Oh Manda, it doesn't stop!" She complained, turning around and walking awkwardly, panicking to herself. "Ugh! There's something wrong with me. Did I break my uterus? Maybe I tore a muscle. I need to seek medical help!"

Sabine looked at him, annoyed. She wanted something to just expel her frustrations on, and he was right there as her victim.

"You're so lucky you don't have to deal with this, this is torture!" She told him, pointing rudely at him. "Kanan and Zeb tell me I've been bossy today, well you men don't know what it feels like to bleed out through your vagina!"

She was getting moody again. As she went on, Ezra remembered Kanan's advice on how to handle emotional women on their periods. About hugging them and kissing them. It made his heart skip a beat when he realised it could apply here.

"Hell, even if you did get periods, I bet you'd all complain more than I do!"

Her eyes glanced at the meilooran, suddenly a bit more sweetness was appealing to her. As was yelling endlessly to Ezra, even though he didn't even do anything.

"I can just imagine your faces if you woke up with blood coming out of your di-"

Ezra had to muster up some courage before he did anything. When he did, he ignored her nonsense and stepped towards her. He gave a good hold onto the sides of her stomach and kissed her right on her lips confidently, going on his toes to reach her face better.

Feeling that made Sabine freeze up, her whining stopped as her mouth connected with his. It took her a moment to realise what happened, and then immediately she retreated a couple steps, almost tripping over. Their lips parted with a loud smooch-like sound.

"Um..." She was a bit confused, standing stiff at the unexpected move by him. "Ezra...?"

He was a very red, and rubbed the back of his head. His eyes were trailing on the floor. Sabine...didn't have much to say about that, too shocked to even be angry, actually.

"Right, well..." She began, a little flustered herself. "I'm...quite tired. I need to get some sleep...and hope this period will pass"

She quietly began to make her way out The Galley, but not before stopping and looking back at him for a moment. It wasn't quite how Ezra hoped it'd go. Deep inside he was hoping she'd practically melt in his arms and return his affection. Not like in his dumb horny fantasies...something more meaningful. Just share a very normal moment with the only other teenager in her life. But he hoped for too much. Clearly Kanan's knowledge was best suited towards being a Jedi, not handling women.

At least he stopped her from having some kind of emotional panic attack.

"Thanks for the evening grope, I guess..." She supposed. "Let's not speak of that...see you in the morning, Ezra"

Ezra was left to his shame in The Galley, and Sabine swiftly got in her cabin. When she closed the door behind herself, she rubbed her arms, they had goosebumps all over. Gee, she knew Ezra liked her but she didn't think he'd muster the courage to straight up kiss her like that.

 _"Certainly quite...courageous"_ She thought. _"Or dumb..."_

No one ever fell in love without being a bit of both.

Leaning against the door, she brought some fingers up to her mouth, feeling the mark Ezra left on her. She closed her eyes, a little smile forming and butterflies filling her stomach. The feeling in her loins wasn't pain for once all day, but that of being aroused.

 _"Uh, damn you Ezra..."_ She cursed in her head. _"My first kiss..."_

Her first kiss.

His too.


	9. Together

**_2ABY_**

Alrich Wren stood in the great hall of the Clan Wren ancestral home. The hall was empty, him alone standing by one of the great glass windows. He was looking through the tinted glass, taking in the icy scenery of Krownest. He had been waiting here for a while, intending to meet someone, but he had patience. An artist had to be patient, otherwise you'd never produce an amazing artpiece. That was something he often told his daughter, but she always preferred a quick graffiti tag. Him? He took things slow, made the time to produce something really special. And meaningful. Something that would leave a great impression.

He didn't have such a reputation as a master artist for no reason.

Alrich heard the steps as someone else entered the hall, all the way on the other side of the room. He didn't turn for a while, until the steps got louder. When he did look over his shoulder, he saw the person whom he was meeting with.

Another man, much younger. Dressed in a black jacket. Their hair was just as dark as their clothes, and short. Someone who was a bit of an outsider to this place.

"Master Jedi." Alrich greeted him.

The young man chuckled as he approached.

"I told you to stop calling me that." He said.

"Apologies, Ezra."

They were stood side by side, looking outside that same wall of glass. They both looked out at the scenery, but different things were going through their heads.

"Well, after today...I guess this will be my home." Ezra sighed. "My new home."

He'd already gotten used to living here, he's been here for a couple years now. But something about looking at it all...and knowing this was going to officially be your home as much as it was for all the others you saw daily? Those that saw you as an outsider? For it to be as much your home...as it is hers?

"I understand the position you're in." Alrich told him. "This wasn't always my home either. Though I didn't get much time to...adjust to the conditions by the time I arrived."

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked.

Alrich glanced at him, smiled faintly.

"Getting used to the cold."

They shared a brief chuckle together.

"Eh...you did well." Ezra said. "Married the Countess."

"Actually, Ursa wasn't Countess when we had our ceremony." Alrich informed. "It was only a few years later did she take her place as such. The Count of Clan Wren before her had been killed during the Siege Of Mandalore...the routine of succession took place."

Alrich explained that, like typical Mandalorians, the leader was chosen out of who was strongest. After Deathwatch fell, Ursa returned to her home to make her claim.

"She won, then. Obviously."

"Won the title. She didn't have to fight."

Ezra gave a brief, confused look. Alrich looked at him back, blankly.

"No one dared challenge her." He added.

Ursa won her place, put aside her terrorist relations with Deathwatch after Maul was defeated. Instead, she worked on being a mother, raising her two children.

"Huh...Sabine has one badass mom." Ezra said humorously. "Not that it wasn't already obvious."

She was lucky to have even gotten the chance to raise children in peace, considering her past. Although Ursa was always keen on bringing them up, she often found herself leaving her children in Alrich's care on Krownest, while she went off to fight battles with Deathwatch. And even after she returned for good, to commit to her place as Countess, she was always the...less sympathetic out of the two parents. Sabine and Tristan didn't grow up disliking her, they accepted her for what she was: their stern figure in life that was intent on making them strong Mandalorians when they grew up. And she definitely succeeded...Alrich couldn't argue with that. But she could've been more compassionate...when his children needed something, wanted something...they often went to him.

For love, their father was their choice. Not their mother. Alrich didn't like that, and he knew it bothered his wife too.

Alrich always wondered if it was just the effect being a terrorist had on Ursa. But all things considered...she was a relatively adequate mother.

"She has always had rough edges, but she mattered when it counted." He continued to elaborate.

There was a moment of silence. Ezra didn't know what exactly he thought of Ursa, even after the years living here. She...didn't make their relationship clear, but Ezra didn't feel it was positive. It was like she was suspicious of him. That having him here...was an effort on her part.

"I don't think she likes me." Ezra admitted, quietly.

Alrich looked over the young man. He could see he was a bit nervous about this whole day. A special day. Sabine had planned it all out...after the destruction of The Death Star, she felt there wasn't a better time for something like this.

"Sabine trusts you." He reminded him. "And I trust my daughter, as does Ursa. You don't have anything to be afraid of, young Bridger."

"I just hope Sabine didn't pull too many strings for this..."

"If Sabine wants this...then I want this." He assured him. "You let me worry about what Ursa thinks. You worry about enjoying this day."

Ezra smiled. He supposed he got what he was looking for in this conversation.

"So...I guess that means we have your blessing?"

Alrich nodded, and touched Ezra's shoulder sincerely.

"You have my blessing."

* * *

Sabine trodded in the snow, which was thick enough to swallow her feet. Although snow was always present on Kronwest, it could go from relatively thick to...this thick. And today was a particularly snowy day.

"This hasn't exactly been a fun walk." She said aloud.

In front of her, Ursa was also pushing through the weather. She didn't respond to her daughter, but simply kept going. When they reached a flatter plain of snow near the icy lake, Sabine stopped.

"Mother, can we stop?" She asked. "You didn't take me out here just to remind me how bad the snow could get here."

Ursa then stopped, then turned around to face Sabine.

"I know what this is about." Sabine told her. "I get it, you're not exactly thrilled about today. But instead of dragging me through snow and chatting about nonsensical stuff, can we just get this over with?"

Ursa's stern expression didn't change, it was pretty much her resting face after all.

"You used to love trekking through snow." She said quietly. "With your father, at least."

She remembered watching from a distance, a young Sabine playing on the ice, laughing as her father encouraged her. Thinking about it would often bring a smile to her face, but then fade when she remembered that it was her father that Sabine always wanted to play with. Not her mother.

Sabine sighed as she walked closer to her.

"Let's not touch that subject again." She decided. "Let's just...be honest with each other."

Ursa nodded. True, she wasn't too happy about today...but she wasn't exactly disapproving, or even objective to it. She believed her daughter underestimated how understanding she could be.

"I know...that you don't like him." Sabine began. "I know that it's mostly to do with him being a Jedi...but Mom, Ezra is perfect for our culture. He has all the qualities that our people look for. He cares a lot about family, he's no stranger to traditions, and he's a warrior."

"He's a child." Ursa told her. "As are you, Sabine. But at least you have our blood, you are one of us."

Sabine frowned. She had seen Ezra develop for many years, and child was the last thing she'd call him now. Maybe once upon a time, but not any more.

"Aliit ori'shya tal'din." She reminded her.

Family means more than blood.

"That is true, Sabine." Ursa agreed, nodding. "But this boy is neither blood or family. And I will consider either before outsiders."

"But he's not an outsider, Mother. He's a friend." Sabine told her, a little frustration escaping her. "What was father to you, when you married him?"

Ursa was left without a response to that. Alrich was her beloved, and while he was neither of Clan Wren nor her family, he was very close to her.

"You're a warrior, he's an artist. Despite your differences, you had two children together." She continued to remind her.

"Your father is Mandalorian." Ursa stated. "Ezra is a foreigner, he doesn't even speak our language."

Sabine squinted a bit...every attack on Ezra was like an attack on herself. She was actually working quite hard on teaching him Mando'a...she just needed time.

"Our own family roots don't stretch back to the very beginning of Mandalorian culture...like many during the Mandalore Conquests, we were dominated and absorbed into it."

If their whole family history was spawned from being adopted into Mandalorian culture, how could they judge outsiders? How could they refuse others from becoming apart of their people?

"Those were ancient times, Sabine. Don't lecture me about my own history." Ursa said. "This is now. Jedi and their practises don't sit well with our people."

"He promised he would put aside all that for me." Sabine said, trying to make her see things differently, shape up her impression of Ezra. "For Manda's sake, he fought alongside us, helped us save Father...all for me. Don't you get it, Mother? He thinks I'm more important than his Jedi ways."

A small amount of angst couldn't help but escape from Sabine.

"How can a former terrorist who helped put someone like Maul on the throne argue about outsiders?"

Sabine sighed, crossed her arms, and looked away from her mom. She instantly regretted saying that.

 _"But it's true..."_

Sabine still didn't look up at her mother when she felt a hand placed on her shoulder. Ursa softened up her expression.

"Me and your father...we just want what's best for you." Ursa told her gently. "You and Ezra both care for each other, that much is clear. But do you not think...that this is a step too far? You are still so young, Sabine. Relationships, especially with boys, they come and go."

Ursa knew this very well for herself.

"Not this one." Sabine shook her head. "He's done so much for me. He helped me get my family back...helped me get you back! He understands the value of family, because he hasn't had one in years."

Ursa had to consider that fact.

"I want to give him a new family."

Sabine had the power to do that, but Ursa was still giving her that look.

"I'm not a child." Sabine said assertively. "This is my decision. Why can't you respect that?"

"I do respect it." Ursa assured her. "But you don't owe him anything, Sabine."

"It's not about debt..."

Sabine felt her mother place her hand on her cheek. She looked at her daughter, at the woman she now was. She was proud of her...but she was still so stubborn.

And like always, Alrich would be there to point out that shared quality between mother and daughter.

"It doesn't matter." She dismissed. "If this boy is truly as great as you often like to claim...then I suppose I will see in time."

"You've known him for years...you should've already seen it, Mother. You just refuse to."

Ursa let go of her. No matter what she did, it didn't seem like she could please Sabine.

"What do you want me to say, Sabine?"

Sabine frowned again. What did she want? Ursa was the one who brought them out here in the first place.

"Gee, what do I want? Your kriffing approval would be nice." Sabine muttered. "Maybe a bit of enthusiasm? Mothers are supposed to be leaping with joy for their daughters on a day like this."

Ursa was then reminded again of the talks she often had with her husband, about being more compassionate. It pretty much took up all their pillow talks. But it was just never her strong suit.

She always showed her love in her own way.

"Sabine, I...I AM happy for you." She told her. "If this is what you want, then I am happy."

"Can you show it, then?" Sabine asked, raising an eyebrow.. "Or will you have that same moody look plastered over you at the celebratory party?"

Ursa was silent. Sabine shook her head, sighed, and walked off back to their home. She had to get ready for later, anyways. No one was going to change her mind about this.

"I guess we'll find out."

* * *

Hours later, Ezra stood outside on the balcony, watching the sunset over Krownest. The light from the sun reflected off the ice and snow, and made for a pretty scene. The cold air on his nose was a feeling he got used to now, and he quite liked that. The cold didn't phase the Wrens, as this was their home...and soon it would be his.

 _"Think I prefer the Lothal fields, though..."_

Whatever was left of it, after what The Empire did. But he took his mind off that...this was supposed to be a happy day for him.

 _"For me and Sabine."_

They had picked a nice time for them to do this. This was to be the pinnacle of their day...possibly of their life.

He heard the door slide open behind him. He looked behind and saw Sabine, standing still and staring at him.

"Hey."

Ezra smiled at her.

Sabine had changed her appearance for this occasion. Such as her hair, which was short and brown, but with some red shadows. She was clad in her usual armour, but painted in traditional Wren colours for once, her helmet under her arm. Another thing Ezra noticed was that she was wearing a small cape over her shoulder, a sign of importance for special occasions within Mandalorian culture.

She was probably the cutest Mandalorian in whole kriffing Galaxy, right now.

"You look lovely." He complimented her.

Sabine returned his smile as she approached, standing by him at the end of the balcony. They both looked out at the sights. The air between them seemed a bit awkward. Today was to be a big day for the pair of them, and they had knew of it for some time...it's what they agreed to, what they wanted. They...were looking forward to it.

But now the day was here. And it was almost a bit overwhelming.

"I have so many childhood memories of this place." She said, breaking the silence. "I never thought I'd ever come back all those years ago. Guess I have you and Kanan to thank for that."

"Family councillors, we were."

"I call it more of an example of peer pressure but...that works too." She chuckled, then looking at him again.

She didn't say anything. Instead, they just looked at one another in silence. It was a while before Ezra spoke up.

"I talked to your father." He said. "We have his blessing."

Sabine nodded. She didn't expect her father to not give it otherwise. It was her mother who was the skeptical one.

"My mother, in her own way, sorta did too." She said.

Even Ezra didn't seem all that confident. She could tell that this was definitely a bigger step for him than it was for her. She wasn't switching cultures, changing her home, creating new ties...this was initially her idea, her suggestion.

Ezra just couldn't refuse her.

"All of this can be yours." Sabine told him, gesturing to the scenery. "You live here now, but it can truly be your home. I want to give all this to you, Ezra...I want to give you my name."

It was in her power to do so. She paused. They had already been through this quite a bit...but now it was for real. And Ezra had to show he was willing to let go of the past, and sculpt his future with her at his side.

"All I ask is one thing in return."

Ezra looked down at himself, then back at her. He had been thinking about it, and they talked about it a lot. About him, about his ways as a Jedi. They agreed that it was something that didn't do him much service within Mandalorian culture...or to anything at all. But if he was truly going to be accepted as one of them, he had to put away his lightsaber.

Literally.

"It's funny, I was very excited to be a Jedi when I met Kanan." Ezra began. "The Force, having superpowers...huh, it was just kid-me getting excited."

Now it was less appealing. As he got older, he found himself getting more concerned with himself and Sabine and less about the Jedi ways. It certainly doesn't help that Kanan, his master, was now gone. Hera, Zeb and Chopper stuck with The Rebellion, who seem elusive these days after The Battle Of Yavin.

So it was just him and Sabine.

"You would do anything for me, Sabine." He continued. "And I would do the same for you."

He reached into his jacket, and pulled out his lightsaber. An object of great tension in a place like this, and of great importance to him. Slowly but confidently, he held it out to Sabine.

She looked at the weapon, then back up at him.

"Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." He assured her. "The direction we want to take...what I want for us...this needs to be put away."

The Mandalorian couldn't help but smile. She took the weapon from him, gave it a long look...this was very symbolic to her. She wasn't familiar with Jedi customs, but it was said that a lightsaber was a Jedi's life.

And he had given it to her.

"You once said that you were not going to leave Lothal after seeing what the Empire did to it." She reminded him. "But you did...for me."

Ezra nodded. He did.

"You wanted to stay with The Rebellion, but you came here instead, for me."

Again, he did.

"And now you've given up being a Jedi...for me."

To say Ezra was committed to her would be an understatement.

"For you."

He reached out with the palm that held his lightsaber, and took her hand in it instead. They stared at one another, and in each other's eyes...they saw hopes, dreams...a future.

Together.

Sabine swallowed. Things between them were now set in motion. She was excited, but she couldn't help but feel a bit nervous too. She could tell he felt the same.

"Well then...are you ready?" She asked quietly.

Ezra nodded...he had been ready for this for a while now. And so she took his arm in hers, both standing close together. This was the moment that Sabine had prepared for, and she hoped Ezra had done the same.

"I hope you remembered the words..." Sabine muttered.

There was a glimpse of doubt over Ezra's face. He really did try...

"Your language is stupid." He sighed. "I can't just confess my love for you in Basic?"

Sabine frowned. She elbowed him right in his ribs. He wouldn't be able to say stuff like that after today. And she was going to teach him Mando'a no matter how much he complained, if only because it would prove to her mother that Ezra was willing to change.

If Mandalorians weren't so...xenophobic, he wouldn't have to change in the first place. Sabine personally loved him the way he was. But alas, this is how things need to be.

"Say it."

He sighed. Here goes nothing...

"Me...solus tome, me solus dart...?"

Sabine rolled her eyes as he lazily slurred the rest of it, sounding completely off and butchering the language. Ezra did spend time revising the words, but the language just didn't stick with him. Sabine spoke over him, telling him to pay attention to her, then speaking much clearly and confidently.

"Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde."

It was a short vow. When spoke properly, Ezra could admit it was quite a beautiful language. When she was done, he went to kiss her, but she leaned back to avoid his lips.

"Ezra, your turn." She told him.

Ezra wanted to sigh, Sabine was really intent on sticking to tradition. So he remembered what she said, and made a poor imitation of the words. But it was, at least, a better performance than his first attempt. When he was done, he saw Sabine giving a judgemental look, deciding if it was still good enough.

"Well?"

"Eh...close enough." She smiled faintly.

There was a pause. Sabine looked at him with as if expecting something, but he only gave a blank stare.

"Now you can kiss me."

Oh. Ezra returned her smile, leaning forward and touching the side of her face. He gave her a long, delicate kiss. When they straightened up again, they looked at each other with a fresh perspective. Like a new chapter in their life had just began.

To Ezra, Sabine suddenly seemed a hundred times more attractive than she already was. Now she was truly his.

"So...what now?" Ezra wondered, stroking the side of his wife's face.

"Well...I did manage to convince Mother to have a small party for us." She said to her husband with an eager look. "Zeb is coming."

Ezra was surprised. He hasn't seen the old lug in a while.

"Really? Hah, that's great. But...I hope your mom is okay with this..."

"She'll warm up to you, Ezra. She just doesn't like outsiders, much less a Jedi." She told him. "Well, former Jedi in your case. Hey, you get it pretty well all things considered. She is grateful for you bringing me back all those years ago."

If it wasn't for his involvement with taking The Saxons down, Ursa would've never entertained the idea of this. But even then...it's not her decision. Her power as Countess only went so far. Sabine would've left Mandalorian Space with Ezra if she had to, probably stick with The Rebellion.

 _"My home away from home."_

"Just don't use The Force...and you'll be accepted as one of us."

"Eh, I can use it sometimes, right?"

Sabine curled her lips as they began slowly walking back inside.

"I don't think you should, unless it's important."

"What about when there's something out of my reach at the dinner table?" He suggested. "Or when there's something heavy that I can't lift naturally?"

Suddenly he wondered how he would get by in his daily life without The Force.

"No, Ezra." She told him sternly.

Ezra mumbled. It looks like he was going to have to disconnect himself...as Kanan did once upon a time. It was almost like things had come around full circle. But if it made Sabine happy...he would do it.

His time as a Jedi was over.

"Five minutes into our marriage and you're already bossing me around." He muttered humorously.

Sabine chuckled. When they got inside, they stopped for a moment.

"I'll make some preparations, make sure Zeb finds his way here okay." She said. "You...should head to our room."

"Oh? Wanna hide me from your family?" He wondered. "Or is this a...very private celebration party?"

Sabine smirked at him.

"No, silly. I left you a gift." She continued, getting his interest as she trekked her fingertip on his chest. "You'll just have to see it for yourself. Meet me in the great hall when you're ready."

Sabine left him, a slight excitement in her movement as she walked off. Ezra was left on his own, but he also moved with some excitement as he made his way in the opposite direction to the room he shared with Sabine. When he got there, he went inside and saw his gift.

 _"Oh, wow..."_

In the room, there was a full suit of Clan Wren Mandalorian armour, fitted for a man. He approached it, looking it over...it looked fresh-forged. The paintjob of the armour was in typical Wren colours, but clearly the handiwork of his dearest, having a slight messiness to it that signified her style. One twist on the armour, was that the right pauldron had a unique detail: a Lothcat. It put a smile on his face.

 _"So thoughtful of her..."_

The armour was a symbol, almost. A symbol of his new home, yet still had a reminder of his old one. He reached out and took up the helmet...his own helmet. Sabine talked about how armour was so important to a Mandalorian, like it was apart of their very being. His marriage to Sabine, being adopted into a Mandalorian Clan, having his own armour...it really shaped up the person he was now.

 _"Ezra Wren."_

* * *

Zeb looked over his shoulders at the impressive Great Hall, taking in the place. He never knew that Mandalorian architecture could be so...pretty. It was not only nice to see Sabine again, but to also have a look at the place she called Home.

Sabine was stood next to him, watching him amuse himself.

"Ezra scored big, getting to live in a place like this." He said. "Meanwhile I'm still stuck in that small cabin on The Ghost."

Sabine shrugged. At least he didn't have to share a room with Ezra anymore. That was her blessing.

"How's Hera?" Sabine asked.

"Ah, she's fine." Zeb assured her. "We're all fine. Got a base set up on a planet a bit like this one, I'd tell you where it is but then..."

He brought his hand out and imitated a blaster. And Sabine chuckled.

"But you're okay?"

"Don't worry about it, Sabine."

The Empire were hunting hard for The Rebellion after they blew up their precious Death Star. The Empire haven't even gone into Mandalorian Space as they're busy diverting forces into keeping stability in The Galaxy across the regions they ruled.

"Well, I hope you have a good time." She told him. "But I gotta warn you, Mandalorian parties like this are pretty tame."

Regardless, the Lasat was intrigued.

"I hear so much about how apparently Mandalorians have the best drinks, stuff that'll knock out the unprepared in a single swig..."

Sabine smiled at him. He was correct...but she never had the stomach for it.

"Well then..." She crossed her arms and spoke teasingly. "...I'll see what I can do."

Zeb turned when a Clan Wren warrior approached him.

"I'm sorry sir, you have to leave." They told him.

Zeb was caught by surpise. He just got here and he was already being told to get lost. Was he THAT poor a guest?

"Huh?"

"We have a limit here on body odour stench, surpassing it as you have will offend The Countess and her beautiful daughter."

The Lasat looked at Sabine, frowning, confused. But she only glared at the Clan Wren warrior.

"Is that so?" She wondered, approaching them and pulling off their helmet. "Ezra!"

Zeb could've been annoyed at the insult on his hygiene, but instead he was pleasantly surprised by the face under the mask and threw his big arms around him, picking him up and squashing him.

"Ezra!" He called out his name with glee. "How you doing? Look at you, a grown up Lothrat!"

"Careful Zeb, those are my goods you're damaging." Sabine sniggered.

When Zeb let go, Ezra had to take a moment to recover from being near-killed. On his wedding day.

"Yep...good to see you too, Zeb." He breathed out.

Ezra looked at Sabine, who gave him a warm smile as she looked him over from tip to toe.

"It suits you." She told him.

Zeb watched as the two almost lost each other in their eyes, before Sabine went close to him and gave him a hug. Ezra truly looked like hers, now.

"Uh hu, I may have came to celebrate your big day, but that doesn't mean I have to witness this." Zeb said, turning away and walking off. "I'll go explore this ice-ball you call Home. Let me know when we're having that party."

Zeb left them, and soon Ezra and Sabine were alone again. She was still admiring him in his armour.

"Hm, you look really nice in some armour." She said, touching him all over as she readjusted some pieces, and sorted his collar out. "Your own beskar, Ezra."

"Gee Sabine, save the touchy-touchy for later." He whispered, checking to see if anyone was watching.

Sabine let go of him, smirking. She looked forward to peeling him out of that armour tonight.

"So how's this gonna go?" He wondered.

"We've never really sat down as a family together." She told him. "Take this as an opportunity to impress Mom."

Ezra sighed. He would certainly try.

* * *

A couple hours later, Ezra found himself sitting at the large table in the Great Hall. Next to him was his beloved Sabine. Opposite them was Zeb and Tristan. Some Wren clan members particularly close to their family were also sat at the table. On the two bigger seats at each end of the table, was Alrich and Ursa. Conversations were being made to set the mood, though Ursa was pretty much silent, simply watching over the table.

"So, you're Sabine's brother, eh?" Zeb said, looking over his shoulder to Tristan. "You know much about this?"

Zeb gestured to the bottle of liquid he was drinking. Sabine arranged for some drinks as well as food, as she felt it would break the ice between everybody. She wanted to know for sure that Ezra was being fully accepted as a Wren.

"It's called Ne'tra Gal." Tristan told him, rather sternly almost. "I wouldn't drink much if I were you."

Zeb would willingly take that challenge.

Sabine looked at Ezra. She looked a little bored, as if she felt something she was hoping for in this party wasn't occurring.

"Mother hasn't even said a word yet." She said to him, whispering. "Maybe we should make an announcement or something?"

"What kind of announcement?"

"I dunno. About your induction into our Clan?"

Ezra gave a hesitant look.

"What exactly should I say?"

"Logically you would say it in Mando'a, but..."

"You're never gonna let that go, are you?"

She told him she would, if he made a good impression tonight. So Ezra sighed and stood up, he would improvise as he went along. He got everyone's attention, and soon things were silent.

"Hey, so I just wanna say...thanks to everyone who came." He said, forcing a small chuckle. "Though you were probably gonna come anyways. But still."

Sabine rested her head's weight against her arm on the table as she listened to him, looking unimpressed.

"I'm just...really happy that you've all been so great to me and Sabine about this." He continued. "And...I promise I'll make good use of this armour."

He brushed his hand against his Wren insignia, showing some forced pride.

"And yeah...thanks."

He went to sit down again, but was near dragged on his feet again when Sabine stood up with him. She smiled sweetly as she put her arms around him.

"Well said, cyar'ika." She said before kissing his cheek, then looking at Ursa. "My dear Mother, do you have any words you wish to share with my husband?"

All eyes went to The Countess. She looked back at all of them before standing up herself, then looking specifically at Ezra.

"You have my most sincere wishes of the best." She told him, though not even with a smile. "For both you, my daughter, and the future you will shape together."

There was some nodding as The Countess sat back down, and then the couple.

The party proceeded, and things were getting a bit louder as conversations grew more engaging and Zeb got a bit tipsy, barraging Tristan with many nonsensical questions. But the whole while, Ursa didn't speak a word. But soon, Alrich came to her side, crouching down next to her.

"Our daughter's wedding, one of the most important events in her life." He told her. "Yet you don't seem so pleased."

"If she is happy, then so am I." She replied firmly, still looking forward. "But what I think doesn't matter, they are now wed."

"Sabine cares very much for what you think." Alrich informed her. "You are her mother. You underestimate how important you are to her."

Ursa didn't seem so keen, however.

"Look at them, Ursa."

Alrich gestured for her, and she looked. She saw what she had already seen. She saw Sabine and Ezra conversing, listening to the Lasat and giving uneasy smiles as he embarrassed them.

"You wanna know what their first meeting was like?" Zeb laughed as he practically spat at Tristan. "Kid near swooned from looking at her!"

Ezra and Sabine chuckled. They were both a little surprised, yet touched, by how far they had come since that awkward interaction they had seven years ago. It made them look at each other, admire themselves and the point they got to, then kiss.

"She's happy." Ursa sighed. "I know she's happy, Alrich."

Ursa felt her husband's hand go over hers on the table. She looked up at him with a small smile.

"Do you remember our ceremony?" He asked gently. "Our celebration party?"

A chuckle escaped Ursa, how could she forget?

"You wanted to take a painting of me..." She scoffed, shaking her head.

The large portrait of her that hung in the Great Hall was by Alrich.

Remembering how she felt about her own wedding allowed her to see into how Sabine must feel about hers, and what Ezra makes her feel, what he means to her.

Alrich patted her hand when he saw that Ursa understood.

A little while later, Ezra and Sabine were trying some of the Ne'tra Gal that Zeb had been drinking, partly due to Sabine thinking that he had enough. When they tried some shots for themselves, it was definitely a funny sight. They both coughed and spluttered over the ridiculously strong stuff.

"It's strong enough to work as engine fuel." Sabine stated as she held a hand over her mouth before coughing.

Ezra thought it was disgusting. But maybe that was the point. But he didn't want to drink much, it would definitely be rude to feel sick on his own wedding day.

"Ah, it's not that bad." Zeb told them. "You just can't hold your liquor."

"Yeah? Try to stand up, Zeb."

The Lasat took the challenge, and almost immediately fell on Tristan when he planted his feet on the ground. So he slumped right back down on his seat.

"I think he's had enough, Sabine." Tristan advised her.

Sabine chuckled and agreed.

A while later, the place was quieter. People were starting to clear out. When it looked like the event had mostly passed, Sabine turned to Ezra.

"I need to stretch my legs, let's go outside."

Before Ezra even replied, she had took his hands and pulled him out of his seat. She continued gently tugging him along with her as they began walking out. They both felt a little tipsy, but definitely not as bad as Zeb, who was left sleeping at the table. Ursa watched them both go outside together, then sighed at the sight of Tristan clearing the table, as well as the Lasat and the mess he was in.

 _"Sabine made some interesting friends."_

Alrich stood beside her again, and watched their daughter drag away Ezra, that strange boy she had brought to Krownest after all her time away from home. Who would've knew it'd end up like this.

Ursa was unhappy that it felt like so much of Sabine's life had just slipped from her, that she never got to be there for her. Even in her early life, it felt Alrich was the real parent to Sabine as she grew up. Then for years, Sabine must've felt betrayed and disconnected after the incident at The Imperial Academy. And now, despite all that...she was home, happily married, moving on from all the bad in her life.

"I'm proud of her." Alrich said.

Ursa breathed out and nodded. She was starting to get a little emotional. This wedding day now seemed pretty great after all. She finally gave off a smile.

"As am I."

Ursa felt her husband wrap his arm around her shoulders, and the two embraced.

* * *

Sabine and Ezra trodded outside in the snow, the moonlight reflecting off the white ground and illuminating it. Ezra was taking particular interest in it all as Sabine slightly leaned on him while they walked.

"Did you enjoy your party?" She asked.

Ezra brought her closer with his arm, squeezing her.

"Our party." He corrected her.

They had smiles plastered on their faces as they walked around the edge of the large frozen lake outside the ancestral home of Clan Wren. Sabine then walked ahead of him, looking out at the pretty scenery.

"This is now your home as much as its mine." She told him. "How does that make you feel?"

"Still sinking in, I guess." He said.

It was gonna take some getting used to, being called Ezra Wren.

"Well, now it's really important I teach you Mando'a." She reminded him. "Can't be Mandalorian without the language."

Ezra curled his lips as he crouched down. That didn't sound appealing at all.

"That doesn't sound so fun..."

Sabine was then suddenly attacked as a ball of snow hit her in the back of the head. She gasped and spun around, seeing Ezra smirking guiltily.

"...that though, that was pretty fun."

Sabine shot a mischievous look back at him, then quickly went to scoop snow in her own hands. Ezra did the same, and soon the two were throwing snowballs at each other.

"Ow!" She yelped as another one hit her ear.

"Haha-omph!" He was interrupted when Sabine caught him in the chest.

After their onslaught against one another, Ezra chuckled as he scooped up more snow in his hands, but began to run at Sabine. She saw what he was going to do and backed away.

"No, Ezra!" She told him. "No-aaargh!"

He grabbed her and they began struggling against one another as he tried to smother snow into her face, but instead they ended up falling over and rolling over a bit, until Sabine found herself on top of him.

"Stop it!" She told him, with a smile, as she grabbed his collar.

Ezra raised his hands in surrender, giving up. But soon he got lost in her face, which was so close. The features of his pretty wife. He placed his arms around her, holding her back and keeping her close. She looked just as amused as he did.

"Thank you...for taking me in." He said, letting out some sincerity.

Her smile grew, and she nodded.

"You were worth it, Ezra."

They touched lips with a great amount of passion, their hands rubbing against each other as they shared the moment of intense love. When they parted, their foreheads rested together.

"We should probably go back inside." She suggested.

He agreed. Sabine got off him. And helped Ezra get on his feet. They began walking closely together back the way they came, but then Ezra decided to suddenly scoop her up and carry her in his arms.

To their first night as husband and wife.

"I look forward to the future we're gonna sculpt together..." She said quietly, resting her head against him.

"The Empire better watch out, we're coming for 'em."

A spark of hope across the galaxy had been ignited when The Death Star was destroyed. What was once a dream, now seemed like a very possible reality.

But The Empire wasn't exactly what Sabine was referring to.

"I meant after all that, silly."

Ezra gave her a glance.

"You got plans that far ahead?" He asked. "I think we should focus more on this war, Sabine."

"Didn't need to plan it...its just what will be expected of us."

"Now you lost me."

Sabine closed her eyes, a small smile on her face. Ezra should've paid attention to the vows and revised them properly...if he did, he would understand.

 _"Mhi ba'juri verde."_

We will raise our children as warriors.

 _"Together."_


	10. Bai'jurr

**_6ABY. In continuity with 'Together'._**

Ezra entered the room, removing his armour as he did so. He made sure not to make too much noise when removing the pieces, for he didn't want to disturb his sleeping wife who was lying on the bed. His day had been quite tiring from all the travel, getting different things for Sabine and even managing to make a visit to Hera. His former captain was working to stabilise Ryloth with her family after finally freeing her home from Imperial control. It was like this all over, for The Empire had finally surrendered to the New Republic after a crushing final defeat on Jakku, it's remnants fleeing to the Unknown Regions, not to be seen again. That was all a year ago. The Galaxy was finally free...and new life could begin. A new era had began.

Though Ezra partly wanted to go to Lothal and see it recover from the scars The Empire gave it, he knew his people were strong and would manage to find their own way forward. Ezra had many ties to Mandalore now, he was officially one of them. And now...he had even greater reason to be here.

 _"Hah...what did you drag me into, Sabine?"_

He sat down on the bed, and looked at the sleeping Sabine. He smiled at her pretty, calm face. He lightly brushed his hand across her short hair of red and orange...then his hand went down to rest over her stomach.

Her heavily pregnant stomach.

Ezra was often fascinated by the sight of Sabine in this state. Inside her, she was growing something amazing. Something that she and Ezra were bringing into this world. He remembered how Sabine put it, how she really won him over.

 _"We fought so hard to take things out of this world...slavery, corruption, control. Let's put something in it, for once."_

And now that's what they were doing. Ezra was looking forward to being able to touch his child...though really he could already feel it every day. Through The Force, he could feel the being inside Sabine. The Force was flowing through them intensely...he could sense the exact same thing that he once felt in that strange man standing idly in the Lothal streets as a fourteen year old boy...on a day that would change Ezra's life.

But maybe it would be best if he kept that to himself.

Ezra lay down on his side of the bed. He got his arm around Sabine and snuggled her up close. She mumbled a bit, but her body felt comfortable in his hold. When Ezra placed his hand firmly over her tummy, he could sometimes feel movement inside. Any day now, Sabine could go into labour. They were greatly anticipating that day...they had tossed many names around, Sabine had some interesting suggestions and was curious if it was a boy or girl. She was hoping for a boy, she wanted to call him J'enga. But Ezra had his own theories.

 _"I'm thinking...a girl."_

It was just his guess. Though he'd be lying if he said The Force wasn't at play even a bit, letting him sense things that Sabine couldn't. But he didn't want to spoil the surpise...he wanted to see it on her face when she's finally holding her little bundle of life in her arms.

 _"Hahah..."_

Just thinking about it all really helped him sleep.

* * *

Ezra awoke from that dream. He found himself lying on that same side of the bed, his stretched out arm reaching over nothing, the other side being empty. He lay there for a long while, contemplating in his head. The happiness he experienced in his dream was that just.

A dream.

The Galaxy was still free. People across thousands of worlds are no doubt the happiest they've been in years, for many it'll be the happiest they've been in their whole life. That's where Ezra should be, he never knew of a world without The Empire till now, this was supposed to be the prime time of his life.

And yet, he was sad.

Ezra got out of bed and started getting dressed, sticking to his routine when starting the day. But he didn't fit himself in his armour, he just got into some simple casual clothes. Before leaving the room, his eyes took notice of something in the room. In the corner, there was a crib fit for a perfect little baby.

And yet it was empty.

Ezra found himself staring at it for a long time. He did this so often. He wondered about the things that should've been...and yet weren't. All he could do, was rub his temple and sigh. Everything right now felt like a great confusion, and he knew Sabine was responding to it worse than himself. She was the mother, after all. And in her typical fashion, she liked to deal with things like this alone. That's why Ezra woke up alone, they were sleeping in separate rooms. They had done so for the last couple days.

Ezra finally did leave his room, and walked down the corridors to the Great Hall. This time of day, he'd usually go for some breakfast...both him and Sabine would. They'd go get themselves some ingredients and Sabine would cook something, and try her best to impress Ezra with Mandalorian cuisine. And he would always be impressed, even if he had to feign it occasionally. Mandalorian food wasn't exactly the most flavourful. And after they were done eating, Sabine would often get to teaching him some Mando'a...or just have sex, if they were in the mood. That was all before Sabine got pregnant...after that Ezra was practically slaving for her, treating her like a goddess. And she loved him for it.

Those were happier times in their marriage. What happened lately...it was the first obstacle that Ezra felt was threatening that marriage.

When making it to the Great Hall, Ezra stopped at the entrance. He saw two figures quietly conversing, Alrich Wren and his dear Sabine Wren. From here, Ezra could tell that Alrich was giving his daughter some comforting words, his hands resting on her shoulders. He would say something and she would nod with the smallest smile. It was brief, and when they were done talking, Sabine received a kiss on her forehead. Then Sabine went to leave the room and return to the cabins, walking past Ezra. They both exchanged a brief sad look, but nothing was said between them.

Ezra stood still, tempted to turn around and go after her. Usually Ezra would follow after her, because he knew this was that time again where they needed to be there for each other. But even he, for once, felt a bit distraught. But Alrich, he was easier to approach.

"Ezra." Alrich greeted him with a slightly sad tone.

"Hey, Alrich." Ezra greeted with the same tone. "How's Ursa?"

Though she was aware of what happened, Ursa couldn't be here for the family in this delicate time. The Countess was away on political business, with Bo-Katan. Mandalore needed a new government, one that wouldn't repeat the same mistakes the Mandalorian people made in the past. With The Empire gone, there was no better time to create stability.

"Oh, my wife is fine." Alrich assured him. "She's heard the news, though...and her biggest regret is not being able to share her condolences in person. The better question, young Ezra, is how is yours?"

Ezra should've supposed that was coming. For the past two days, how Sabine was feeling was constantly on his mind. Actually, it was on his mind most of the time regardless...but right now it was a particular concern.

"She's managing...I think." Ezra said with a lack of confidence. "I mean...she's never been great at communication when she's upset."

It often frustrated Ezra a bit. He hoped being her husband would at least make her open to him, but she still liked to wind herself tight. But it didn't work so well this time...Sabine wasn't alone in this pain, they were in it together.

"Uh, Alrich...how did you deal with Sabine whenever she does this?" Ezra asked. "Whenever she was sad, and you wanted to make her feel better...?"

"Hmm...Sabine has always been a tough nut to crack." Alrich began, looking back in his mind. "Whenever something greatly upset her, I remember she used to lock herself away in her room. Never came out, not even to eat."

That was certainly a bit more extreme than what Ezra was used to, though this was no doubt about a much younger Sabine. Thankfully she wasn't quite like that in their time together aboard The Ghost.

"Of course, she learnt that she needed to eat to live. So she stopped locking herself away and instead would just socially isolate herself."

Now THAT...sounded much more familiar.

"How did you deal with that?" Ezra asked. "She was your daughter...didn't it hurt to see her alone all the time?"

As her husband, it definitely hurt Ezra. More than it did in the past.

"I always had my ways of getting her to open up." Alrich continued. "Though I find they become less effective as she gets older. And this particular incident...is most troubling to her. You need to be there for her, she needs to be there for you too."

"I've tried talking but she's stubborn...if her father can't open her up, how can I?"

"I am her father." Alrich agreed. "But you are her husband."

Ezra simply blinked. He knew his wife very well, but sometimes he wondered how much that mattered.

"You may want to talk to her before she leaves." Alrich recommended.

Ezra blinked again. Leave?

"Wha-what?"

Alrich gave him a blank look.

"Oh. She didn't even tell you...?" He showed some surpise. "Well...you best catch up with her."

Ezra was confused now. What did Alrich mean, that Sabine was leaving? It would be best to get an answer from Sabine herself. So he swiftly left Alrich and went off after Sabine.

Alrich watched him leave. He sighed and shook his head. The atmosphere for his family wasn't so good right now, but he was confident that Sabine and Ezra would work things out.

* * *

Ezra soon made it to the door of Sabine's cabin, her room before they got married and started renovating a larger one. He knocked politely.

"Sabine, can I come in?" He asked with an amount of desperation. "Please. We really need to talk."

There was a moment of silence, of contemplation. Soon, the door opened on its own. Sabine stood before him, they looked at each other. Ezra could see the stress on her face, her glaring shadows under her eyes...she looked like hell. She had plenty reason to. Sabine walked back with a nod before returning to what she was doing without a word. Ezra followed, and he saw that Sabine was laying things out on her bed. She was packing things into a case.

"What are you doing?" Ezra asked quietly.

"Lady Bo-Katan invited me to Sundari." She spoke firmly. "I'm going to join my mother and get...involved with politics. I don't have the best reputation but...I offer a fresh perspective, which is why I've been invited."

Ezra was silent yet saddened as he just watched her. His wife left the bed for a moment and walked past him, taking some dye-remover from her shelf to pack. She needed to look sensible if she was going to partake in politics.

"Where do I fit in all this?"

"You don't want to get involved with politics, Ezra." She sighed.

Ezra was quiet again for a moment as she kept packing. He knew Sabine just wanted a good excuse to leave Krownest..and while he could understand that, he knew this was a stretch. Politics are full of rules and regulations...he knew Sabine wasn't a fan of either.

"No..." He agreed. "But I do want to be with you."

"Well...I need time away from here, away from everything." She crossed her arms, not looking at him. "Sometimes...even away from you."

Ezra felt hurt by that.

"I think, right now...you need me." Ezra told her, almost in a whisper as emotions got to him. "And...I need you, too."

Sabine made eye-contact with him, and the two just stared at one another. So much communication was exchanged with this simple gesture, as the two began to understand the situation they were in. They understood that this was a pain they had to share together.

Sabine also got visibly a little upset after this.

"Oh, Ezra...I..." She swallowed. "I know you're grieving too."

Sabine understood that she wasn't alone in this.

"So are you really going to leave me? Expect me to stay here?" He asked, arms stretched out. "I came here, stayed here...for you. Without you, I have no reason to be here."

Sabine's face appeared considerate.

"Are you...at least going to see her, before you leave?"

Sabine closed her eyes. She wanted to forget, but things were so fresh right now. The pain was new. However, she nodded silently. There was another pause, before Ezra starting stepping forward. He wanted to hold her, he wanted to really talk about the misery they were going through.

"Sabine, it wasn't your faul-"

"Ezra, I...I really don't want to talk about it." She told him, sucking in her emotions as she held her hand out to stop him embracing her. "I know I say it a lot...but sometimes someone does need time to think, time to be alone."

Ezra pulled his arms back, sighed and nodded.

"I'll see her." She promised him, looking back at her case on the bed.

Ezra also looked at it, then back at her.

"And about you leaving...?" He asked gently.

Sabine picked up a pair of pants and looked at them, about to fold them. But then she let out a long sigh and dropped it back on the bed.

"I've never liked politics." She muttered. "We'll see."

It was better than her giving a definite answer that she'd leave. Ezra decided he'd said enough, for now. She gave her a quick kiss on her cheek before leaving her alone. When Sabine was by herself, she rubbed her temple with increasing frustration before suddenly picking up her case and throwing it across the room, spilling all her clothes and objects everywhere.

She then sat on the bed and covered her face with her hands.

* * *

It was much later on in the day. Ezra had spent much of it lying on the bed, hands together on his chest as he contemplated. He was meditating through The Force. That's what Jedi did, if they ever had emotional issues, physical issues...anything at all that troubled them. Have a problem? Meditate. Sure, he did promise to put aside his Jedi ways...but The Force isn't strictly tied to being a Jedi. And besides, who knew when it could be really handy?

Sabine didn't complain when he used it to give her the most amazing massage.

Thinking about that made him smile. Possibly the first smile he had in days.

But one thing that was glaring to him, was what he could sense. Through The Force, he could feel whatever Sabine felt as their bond was so strong. And right now, she was going through the same pain he was. Which meant it was only intensified for him. But eventually the feelings he could sense were getting particularly intense, indicating Sabine was in a moment of particular pain. It grew so glaring to him, that he got up from the bed and left the room, making his way outside the Wren ancestral home.

He knew exactly where Sabine would be.

Walking in the snow, Ezra couldn't even feel the cold air. He simply kept on walking. Soon, he saw the figure in the distance, with a fiery head of hair. Sabine was standing silently on a small white hill. Ezra shuffled quietly up to her, and Sabine could hear him. But she was still silent as he joined her at her side.

They were stood at the site where they buried their dreams.

The two adults could only hear the whistle of blowing, chilly wind. They both didn't know what to say, for once they were both devastated. But standing here together...it was the first time they were truly sharing the pain. No single person could possibly handle it on their own...they needed each other.

But eventually Sabine did speak up.

"I'm not leaving." She whispered.

Ezra didn't remove his eyes from the ground they were looking at. Neither of them did.

"Thank you." He said, just as quietly.

They needed to be there for each other to get through this.

When they continued looking at the ground, Sabine build up the courage to talk about their pain. She knew that she always ended up talking to Ezra about what was bothering her anyways, but since this was something they both shared...now was a good time for it.

"I had no idea..." She began. "I had no idea things would turn out like this."

"It wasn't your fault." He told her quietly.

There was a pause.

"Yes it was." Sabine said. "I'm the one who made us do this. You were reluctant, you thought maybe we weren't ready...I ignored you and now..."

She shook her head in disbelief of herself.

"Clearly...I wasn't ready..." She told herself.

Ezra looked at his wife. His darling wife. He stepped close to her, and took her hand in his. He squeezed tightly, and then she did the same.

"I could feel the life, Sabine." He told her. "There wasn't anything wrong. It...was only at the last moment..."

Sabine assumed he meant through The Force. Ezra always did have a great connection with living beings.

"Well...I also felt it." She said, swallowing up more grief. "Not through magic or belief...but as a mother. I felt it develop, felt it move. I felt life growing inside me..."

It was a feeling that one couldn't ever experience any other way. And Sabine loved it...she thought it was beautiful.

"And in my arms it all just...turned to ashes..."

Sabine will never forget it. That feeling of finally getting to hold what you were nurturing inside you for months. It could've very well been the happiest moment of her life...had it not also been the exact moment her happiness literally died in her arms.

And a couple days later, she found herself here. Finally talking to her husband about it.

"Clearly I wasn't ready." She stated decisively.

Ezra leaned closer to her.

"You would've been great, Sabine." He assured her. "You would've been the best...you still can be."

Sabine finally looked at him, with her pained expression. She could see he was trying to offer light at the end of this dark tunnel...and she appreciated that. Could she expect less of her loving husband?

"I'm not sure if I want to try again." Her weak, tender voice said.

"Our whole lives have been built on hope, Sabine." He reminded her. "If there's one thing The Rebellion taught us...it's that."

Sabine gave him a tiny, soft smile.

"You're right."

They both looked back at the ground. Sabine stepped forward and Ezra let go of her hand. The pain hit her hard again, but she held on to hope for the future. Her eyes closed and tears slowly flowed down her face, but she remained silent. Sabine crouched down, and brushed her hands across the delicate snow.

"Goodbye, my ik'aad..." She whispered. "I barely got to hold you...but I know you'll always be with me."

Sabine then stood up, and wiped her face with a sniff. Ezra went close to her again, and he placed his arms around her. She found it comforting to be held...and he found it comforting to hold her.

"We'll have another chance." Ezra promised her.

The two Mandalorians then walked off together, walking down the small hill. On the top of that hill, the site of such significance to them, was a small gravestone. On the stone was an engraved name.

Mira.


	11. Admiration

**_Season 3. Sometime after 'The Antilles Extraction'._**

A busy day, like all days, had began on the Rebel Base of Atollon. Everyone was starting their morning and therefore their work...which was plentiful for any Rebel. People were walking all over the place and getting into routine as always. For Ezra and Wedge, they were lifting crates of supplies which had been delivered to Phoenix from their "friends in high places." The boys were working as labour, getting the cargo to where it needed to be. At the Rebel base, no job was unimportant and there couldn't be any waste of manpower.

"I didn't think there'd be so much lifting when I joined up." Wedge wiped his brow, before getting on one side of a large crate and heaving it up with Ezra. "Dunno if I joined a Rebellion or a workout programme."

The young pilot chuckled. Since first arriving here, he's felt much more focussed in life. At the Academy he was filled with so many doubts, about his career and his purpose. But here, with The Rebellion, he truly knew what he wanted to work towards. And The Empire didn't share his interests. But here, everyone did. He felt welcome.

Ezra was helpful in that, it was nice that there was someone similar to his age for Wedge to talk to and get him comfortable here. There was another one too, the person who basically recruited him, but...Wedge had difficulty being social with them.

And that was painful, because Wedge found himself taking a great liking to her in short time.

"Just a few more." Ezra said as they surrounded another crate. "Then we'll be done."

"Done before we have to get on with more work, you mean?" Wedge said.

Ezra shrugged. That was the Rebel life.

"You get used to it." Ezra assured him. "Besides, it's not like there's anything else to do here."

Wedge silently supposed that he could do some flying with his A-Wing. But...that would waste fuel. And he was promised that he'd get plenty of opportunity to show off his piloting skills in the future, as The Rebellion were at a lack of capable pilots and Captain Syndulla was always in need of replenishing her squadron...as bleak as that sounds.

But no one told him that the life of a Rebel was going to be easy.

Wedge and Ezra lifted another crate up and began carrying it to the supply depot, where the base stored all its munitions, spare parts and food. While they were doing most the physical work, the job of actually accounting for all this stuff had fallen to someone else.

"I guess it's not so bad." Wedge said with a deep breath after lowering the crate. "We could be doing all the mental work..."

They both turned their attention to who exactly was putting their brain at work. Sabine Wren, as an adept weapon's specialist and engineer, was cataloging all the crates that contained munitions or technology of any kind. She would look at the crates that were brought in, gander at the contents, then put it down on a datapad. Commander Sato believed that careful usage of their supplies was paramount, so he got Sabine to work on making sure everything would be accounted for.

The job seemed best suited to her...but she was struggling. Not because she couldn't actually handle the maths, she was basically a genius after all, but because she was flanked by a very loud and very vocal protocol droid.

"Why have I not been assigned this task?" AP-5 demanded to know as she tried to ignore him. "I was an Imperial inventory droid. I have been programmed for maximum efficiency at all roles relating to logistics and cargo."

Clearly, the droid was offended by Sabine being chosen for the job rather than himself.

"I didn't fix you just so you could nag me." She muttered, looking inside another crate.

AP-5 was unsatisfied with her response.

"An organic is 95.4 percent more likely to make a logistics error than any competent droid." He stated.

Sabine briefly glared at him with narrow eyes.

"You'll be 100 percent more likely to get a nice pink finish if you don't zip it."

She could imagine it. AP-5 in a hot pink look. No one would be able to take him seriously, and Chopper would never cease mocking the protocol droid for it. For the rest of his days, he would be a laughing stock

But as that carnage ensued between them, Ezra and Wedge chuckled. They found themselves a temporary distraction from work and amused themselves with the drama. But soon they were staring for rather different reasons. Ezra enjoyed the remarks that were being exchanged, but Wedge found himself staring at the back of Sabine's head.

"So...Sabine...she was an Imperial Cadet, right?" He asked, rubbing his neck. "An actual cadet. Not when she extracted me from that other academy."

Ezra confirmed that she was. Sabine didn't like talking about her past, but small snippets of it came up from time to time. Like how Ezra learned she was once a bounty hunter, for example.

"Ah." He was quiet for a moment. "I guess that's one thing we have in common."

Ezra turned away from AP-5 and Sabine, and looked at Wedge. He was still just staring off like he was in a dream.

"You're friends with her, right?" He kept the questions coming, yet his eyes never moved.

Ezra was starting to get a little bit wary. Seemed Wedge had a sudden fascination with her.

"Sure."

"Oh. Sorry, it just wasn't clear" Wedge went on. "I...often see her on her own."

It was true that Sabine liked to spend much of her time alone, from everyone else. Ezra once tried to get her to be more social but it didn't work out. So now...he just lets her be her. He could tell that Sabine actually liked him more for it, by respecting her wishes. And nothing was stopping the two of them from having a good conversation now and then, and they always had plenty of interaction time when they were sent off together on a mission. They were quite the duo, and they respected each other...so Ezra often respected her when she says "I want to be alone." It wasn't doing her any harm, anyways.

Wedge finally moved his eyes away from her, looking down at the ground.

"Heh. She's...kinda cute, don't you think?" He asked rather quietly.

Ezra couldn't help but smile at his question, but he clearly got a bit embarrassed. He himself definitely had an admiration for Sabine...but he had been keeping it to himself. He only ever found humiliation whenever he expressed it...and it was usually to Sabine herself.

Wedge didn't seem as confident, but he seemed confident enough to tell Ezra.

"Eh, well..." It was Ezra's turn to rub his neck nervously. "She's...took care of herself."

Wedge's face appeared deep in thought, almost as if he didn't even listen to Ezra. Then he looked up confidently, and started walking forward. Ezra remained where he was, and could only watch silently as Wedge approached Sabine once AP-5 gave up and left.

"You managing alright?" He asked with emphasis on his voice to sound as nice as possible.

Sabine gave Wedge a brief glance over her shoulder, before continuing to log the cargo with her datapad.

"A lot better now that he's gone." She said, gesturing with a nod in AP-5's general direction.

"Yeah, he doesn't seem to like you." Wedge said with a small, forced laugh. "If you need help, let me know."

"Nope, I'm fine." She swiftly confirmed to him. "Just bring more crates here."

Wedge nodded, looking pleased with himself, and quickly marched back to Ezra. His face was briefly enthusiastic, but it quickly turned into dissatisfaction when he thought about what actually happened in that interaction...or really, what didn't happen. Their talk lasted about ten seconds. Sabine didn't even look at him for more than a glance, and it felt like he was being brushed off.

Even Ezra felt a bit embarrassed for him.

 _"Gee, was I once like that?"_ He wondered.

Probably worse. At least Wedge tried to be subtle. Ezra was gawking at Sabine from when they first met. First impressions...

"C'mon, let's get more crates." Wedge said relatively bitterly, passing by Ezra.

Ezra could see how annoyed Wedge was with himself. But he didn't bring up what he witnessed. He just lifted the last few crates with Wedge which took a good while, and throughout it Wedge didn't say a word. When they made their last trip to the supply depot, they sat on the crates to have a rest. Sabine was still quietly working on logistics, but Wedge only gave her occasional glances instead of staring. Ezra figured Wedge wouldn't bring her up again, but he was wrong.

"You're her friend." Wedge suddenly said after a long the period of silence. "How did you even manage that?"

It felt like Sabine wanted nothing to do with him...and everyone else, hence why she was usually alone. How did Ezra manage to become her friend in the first place?

"Hah, well its...we've been apart of the same crew for years now." Ezra told him. "I'd say that counts for something."

"I'm a Rebel just like her, and I'm in the same cell as her." Wedge replied, almost like a retort. "Yet I can barely talk to her."

Ezra only gave him a straight look, and it made Wedge feel guilty for snapping at him like that. Ezra didn't even do anything...maybe Wedge was just a little jealous of him. In fact, Ezra was all he had to share his thoughts with right now. Someone he knows will be there to just listen to him.

But truthfully, Wedge would rather that person be Sabine.

"Sorry, I just...I've had experience with girls." Wedge went on with a different tone. "But she's different. Like she's tightly winded up. I want to get to know her, but she just...ugh."

He couldn't even describe her, really. Ezra could sympathise with him. He struggled hard to form any relationship with her too, once. But it got easier with time.

That's all Wedge needed: time.

"Hey, it's fine." Ezra assured him. "Don't forget, you're new here. She barely knows you...you barely know her. She'll warm up to you."

"Not if she hardly talks to me in the first place." Wedge muttered.

He couldn't imagine that Sabine knew everyone here, and regularly talked to each of them. There were many Rebels at this base, and Wedge was one of them. He didn't want to be just another person to her here not worth giving a second look.

"Got any advice?" Wedge asked, with a sigh. "You know her better than I do."

Perhaps Ezra should've felt humbled. But at the same time, he felt rather...conflicted. Ezra admired her too, like Wedge. Ezra wasn't in an active mission to charm Sabine, but that didn't mean he wanted to help what he could see as potential competition.

He couldn't bring himself to straight up say no, either.

 _"But...she doesn't belong to me."_ Ezra reminded himself. _"Can't forget that."_

But what he was certain of, is that he wouldn't like her belonging to someone else. Still, Ezra forced a laugh and rubbed his neck...he didn't want to look unwilling, he considered himself Wedge's friend after all.

"You know, even I don't know her that well...to be honest." He said, presenting himself as not so useful to Wedge.

"C'mon, you saw how embarrassing I was before." Wedge told him, pressuring him a bit. "You don't want me looking like an idiot, do you? All I wanna know is...I dunno, what are her interests?"

They weren't actually hard to figure out.

"I mean, have you SEEN her?" Ezra asked. "She doesn't make it THAT difficult, Wedge."

Dyed hair, painted armour, explosives expert...you could read some things. It wasn't like Sabine pushed away anyone who attempted to get relatively close to her. Sure, she didn't like dumping her life story on people but...it was possible to talk to her. Just respect when she wanted to be alone, and be interesting. Sabine herself was an interesting person, and one needed to keep up with that.

"So...you can't help?" Wedge supposed. "Won't?"

Ezra appeared conflicted again. He definitely didn't want to help Wedge's goal regarding Sabine, but...maybe he could be useful to some degree without risking much. He could, perhaps, even use this whole scenario to his advantage.

"Can't say I can promise she'll suddenly like you..." Ezra began. "You say you have experience with girls?"

Wedge nodded.

"Oh yeah, I don't need advice on girls in general, I just need a chance to talk to her. Or a few." He said. "Hey, how many girls have you been with, Ezra?"

Ezra seemed briefly at lost for words, and stuttered. He never had a girlfriend in his life, and hasn't interacted with many either. Maybe...that why he was captivated by Sabine when he first met her. Pretty, close to his age, very intriguing as a person...

But experience...he had none.

"Well...uh, never had an opportunity to experience that kinda stuff..." Ezra admitted.

Wedge smiled at him, and waved his hand to dismiss the topic.

"It's alright. It's not you who has to do the chatting anyways." He chuckled. "Just point Sabine my way, would you?"

He didn't like how Wedge made it sound like he had already made up his mind to help him. Ezra wanted to tell him no, but that...might make things awkward between them. And that was the last thing he wanted.

 _"He just wants you to get Sabine to notice him."_ Ezra told himself. _"Is that...so difficult?"_

Ezra was sure he wouldn't have much to lose by having the two interact more. He knew Sabine was a difficult person to get close to, she wouldn't be easy to charm...but then again, Ezra didn't have much experience in this matter. What if Wedge could easily do what he couldn't? That...actually worried Ezra. Again, he knew Sabine didn't belong to him but...he really liked her too.

Seeing her with someone else could hurt...he knew it would hurt.

"If you wanna talk to her, I guess I could help." Ezra said quitely.

"Great, thanks Ezra." Wedge patted his shoulder. "What have you got in mind?"

Ezra shrugged.

"Just...brainstorm conversations you'd want with her." Ezra advised. "I'll think of something."

The two looked back at Sabine, who was still working. They were both deep in thought, and both thinking about how much they each liked Sabine. Ezra felt like he had been pressured into assisting Wedge with his social life, almost working against his own interests. Wedge was a friend, but all of a sudden he felt like competition.

And he was helping him.

* * *

Later on that day in the afternoon, three A-Wings flew together in formation as they approached The Rebel Base, making their route to dock near the Corvette cruiser.

"Good job today, Hobbie." Hera said to them over the com. "You too, Wedge."

The two pilots thanked their Captain. It was a pretty productive training excercise, and Wedge got to show off why he was at the top of every flight school he attended. Still though, despite all he knew...Hera still had a few things for him to learn from about piloting. He supposed that was something to be thankful for...it's not like The Empire were teaching him much about being a pilot, it was really just about following orders all the time. It became clear to him that The Empire didn't care so much about producing good pilots, only cranking them out to fill up those poorly made TIEs.

"Is there anything else you need us to do, ma'am?" Hobbie asked.

The A-Wings landed.

"Hm. Nothing that I know of." Hera admitted. "I've got to organise tomorrow's assignments with Sato. But you should check in with the head of security."

Hobbie and Hera went off in their separate ways, but Wedge remained in his A-Wing. He pulled off his helmet, and laid back. He just sat for a while, thinking about the conversation that he had with Ezra earlier. Maybe he came on too strong with getting him to help out.

 _"He said he'd think of something."_ He reminded himself. _"What did he mean?"_

He didn't get to ponder that question long. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that recognisable head of white and pink hair. Her briefly glanced at Sabine, who was walking over to him with a box of tools in her hand. Wedge turned his gaze from her as she approached, pretending not to notice her until the last moment.

"Hey, Chopper told me your A-Wing needed some maintenance." Sabine told him as she reached for a ladder. "Is there anything wrong?"

Wedge was at lost for words. He heard nothing about his A-Wing needing a lookover, and he definitely didn't notice any issues himself when flying. Even if he did, he wouldn't have told Chopper. How was this even happening?

"I...uh..." He swallowed, and focussed. "Oh yeah! There's just been a few small things, nothing major really. It probably won't even be an issue. Hell, I could do it myself probably"

"It's alright." She assured him. "Won't take long. I needed a distraction anyways."

Sabine placed some ladders near the fighter, and climbed up onto the hull of the ship below the cockpit. She placed the tools down, and started opening compartments. As she worked, Wedge quickly pieced together things in his head...maintenance on ships was apart of routine and schedule and this didn't look like it. The most logical conclusion, was that Sabine was asked if she could perform some work on Wedge's A-Wing after his training excercise. And informal lookover, one could say.

 _"Told by Chopper...who was likely told by Ezra."_

This must be what Ezra had in mind, giving Wedge and Sabine an excuse to be near each other. Well, he had to make the most of it.

"So...not just a good mathematician, but a good engineer too, huh?" He said friendily, leaning forward in his cockpit chair. "Where'd you learn all this?"

Wedge now knew she attended an Academy, but Sabine herself hadn't told him that. So he had to feint ignorance otherwise it might look like he's been snooping around about her or something...

Sabine simply gave a small smile and shrugged her shoulders, while still concentrating on looking at his ship.

"Went to an Academy, like you." She told him. "Not exactly like yours, but I got a good education."

Language classes. Engineering classes. Math classes. She was so good they let her into the academy at an earlier age than normal. It would be easy for Sabine to feel proud of herself, if it weren't for what would result from her genius mind. But at least she could put her talents to use here.

"Ah." Wedge curled his lips, and watched her silently for a moment...she definitely wasn't making conversation easy.

Looking at her work was easy, though. Something about a cute girl getting her hands dirty was very appealing. He wondered what he must've looked like to her...some pilot dork, probably.

"I wasn't a great student..." He admitted. "But I love flying."

Sabine smiled briefly again, and gestured to the ship she was on top of.

"Yeah, I can tell." She said quietly. "How's Hera working out as your squadron leader?"

"Captain Syndulla? She's great!" Wedge was quick to reply. "I thought I could show up every pilot here...she put me in my place."

Sabine chuckled. That sounded like Hera, alright.

"A nice change from The Empire, huh?" She supposed.

Wedge nodded, and agreed. At the academy, Imperial squadrons didn't feel connected, they didn't feel obliged to really work together...like you were all just grunts following orders. But here, everything felt much better, a far better environment to fly in.

But about Sabine, it really felt like she had a similar background to Wedge, being an Imperial Cadet and all. Perhaps he could use that for some good conversation.

"So what made you turn against them?" Wedge asked. "The Empire, I mean."

Sabine briefly stopped working, she straightened up and brushed a side of her hair from her face.

"Hah...same reason as you." She said, very ambiguously.

Sabine didn't want to dump her sob story on Wedge. So she passively wrote it off as a typical "I realised they were evil."

"Well...I'm glad we're on the same side." He smiled at her.

There was another blank period. It felt like Wedge had to initiate everything. The silence then became awkward, and it made Sabine eventually speak up, but not in a way Wedge would've liked.

"You don't have to stay here, you know." She informed him, reaching for another tool. "I'll be fine."

"Ah, yeah. Thanks." Wedge quickly stood up and got off his ship without using ladders, so he fell on his hands and grunted. "I'll let you work."

Wedge picked up his helmet and was about to leave, but he turned around and looked up at her. He was about to say something, but the words were suddenly lost. So he silently just left her to work. As Wedge walked off, he analysed every part of their conversation. What went right, what went wrong? Did he look stupid?

 _"It was a...decent conversation."_ He thought.

Hm. Maybe it worked out. Of course, he couldn't have expected them to become good friend in a single conversation. He just needed more chances. However, he felt like Sabine was brushing him off again.

As Wedge walked, he encountered Ezra and Chopper together, and the two noticed him. It helped solidify that they were both in on this.

"Hey Wedge." Ezra greeted him as the young pilot approached. "So, did you...?"

Wedge looked down at the droid, then nodded at Ezra.

"Yeah, thanks." Wedge smiled faintly.

He didn't say more than that, so Ezra pressed on.

"So...what did you talk about?" He asked curiosly.

"Eh, just Rebel stuff." Wedge replied.

Wedge looked down at his feet, and he had that same dissatisfied face again.

"I think I bored her." He admitted glumly. "She barely even looked at me."

Ezra nodded, but he simply continued to inspire optimism.

"Hey, it's alright." Ezra told him. "You're learning. You just gotta try something else."

Talking about work couldn't have been the most interesting topic in the world. But there was one thing Ezra was sure would grab Sabine's interest: art.

"Do you know much about art?" Ezra asked.

Wedge shook his head.

"Alright...you better take this."

Ezra gave Wedge a comlink. The pilot took it, but didn't see the purpose.

"Set it to my frequency and keep the volume low." Ezra told him. "I'll help you through this."

This seemed strange, Ezra was a lot more enthusiastic to help out all of a sudden. Wedge was reluctant...but he thought the potential prize would be worth it. So he accepted the com.

"Okay...so what's next?"

Ezra shrugged.

"Just be ready." He simply said.

Wedge was scooted off, and told to once again think about things he'd want to say. Ezra watched him go, and then knelt down beside Chopper, and whispered to him. About things involving AP-5 a few hours from now.

The plotting went on.

* * *

The evening sky stretched over Atollon, as the sun began to disappear and the temperature getting colder. Atollon was either very warm, and very cold, right now it was in the middle. But cold was something that never bothered Sabine too much, so she was out for an evening stroll where she could just contemplate on stuff. During this time, she liked to head down to the cargo depot and do some harmless tagging. At least, she considered it harmless...AP-5 considered it a bother, and would make a big deal about it despite not even being in charge of managing the depot.

 _"He also washes off my work."_ She thought. _"Well...I guess that just means I can keep tagging."_

When she reached the depot, she was met with a surprising sight. AP-5 was there earlier than usual, with his ladders and cleaning equipment to wipe away yesterday's graffiti. But along with that, she saw Wedge talking to him.

"It's good stuff, you don't need to get rid of it." The pilot tried to reason with the droid. "She probably put a lot of time into it."

"It is unnecessary and only mucks up the place." AP-5 told him sternly. "This place is already a mess, and I won't let it deteriorate any further."

Sabine wasn't expecting anyone to be around here at this time of day, unless they were Zeb as head of security. But Zeb never minded her graffiti tagging. She liked to think her work inspired The Rebels here, actually. Perhaps AP-5's Imperial programming couldn't be turned when it came to colour choices.

"What's going on here?" She asked curiously as she walked over.

"Ah, the perpetrator." The droid recognised her voice, but continued to miserably wash away.

Wedge turned his head, but he didn't gawk at her as easy as that could be. Instead he played it casually, and only looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Hey, Sabine." He greeted, toning down the overdone friendliness. "I just caught AP-5 here trying to undo all your graffiti work. It's pretty good, by the way."

"Good, don't over-compliment her." A voice said in his ear.

On the other end of the small com, was Ezra. He was able to hear what was going on at Wedge's end, but no one should be able to hear him beside Wedge himself.

"Yeah?" She showed some intrigue. "What do you like about it?"

Wedge swallowed, and opened his mouth to speak. But he was really buying some brief time for Ezra to advise him on how to proceed.

"Tell her it...inspires rebellious themes..." He suggested, not so confidently.

"It inspires rebellious themes." Wedge repeated without the lack of confidence. "And it...it has a good blend of colour."

Wedge anticipated her response. The Artist showed some surprise in her eyes.

"Hm. Good to know there's someone else here who appreciates the field of art." She smiled warmly at him.

Wedge almost lost himself in that smile, but he regained control. Above them, AP-5 was climbing down the ladders.

"Do me a favour and, for once, don't violate the cargo crates." He told her.

But he couldn't force her to do anything. Commander Sato had, for now, put Sabine in charge of the cargo depot which therefore meant AP-5 was her assistant. And admittedly the logistics droid had a certain debt to her, since she saved his life by putting him back together.

The two humans spoke again once AP-5 was away.

"Feels like he doesn't cut you much slack." Wedge noted.

"Eh. He's just grumpy but it feels most protocol droids are." She sighed. "He's Chopper's friend so he's fine with me. And hey, him cleaning the tags away just means I get to do more."

Sabine reached for her belt, and took out her airbrush. She showed it to Wedge, before approaching the wall and studying it, thinking about what she wants to do.

"Well, you definitely look like an artist." Wedge remarked. "Night and day from that cadet uniform you were wearing."

Just by looking at her, you could tell.

"Never liked the dull black and whites of The Empire." Sabine muttered.

She made up her mind on what she wanted to do, and got to work on tagging. Wedge silently watched her, but he didn't want to make it weird like he did earlier, otherwise Sabine might brush him off again. So he had to keep "pressing" the conversation.

"So, mathematician, engineer AND an artist?" He laughed. "Any other things about you I don't know?"

Sabine smiled faintly, and looked at him. She placed her hand on her throat, and prepared to speak. When she opened her mouth, a loud growl came out at varying sounds. Wedge stared at her, confused. When she was done, she simply turned back to her graffiti.

"Uh...?"

"Shyriiwook." She stated. "I speak it, along with a few more languages. Don't ask for more Shyriiwook, though...it really works my throat."

Sabine finished her tag, and stepped away from it. She gestured for Wedge to have a look. When he stepped forward, he looked at the tag. He saw what appeared to be a stylised A-Wing in flight. The cockpit was open, with the pilot's big happy head poking out.

It looked like himself.

"Oh...is that?" He wondered with a smile, pointing at it.

Sabine hummed, and blew her airbrush.

"You've been immortalised in cute form." She said enthusiastically, then lowering her voice. "At least until AP-5 washes it off."

Wedge chuckled. The tag looked like something out of a cartoon.

"Hah, thanks." He turned to face her. "A real masterpiece."

Sabine went to work on another tag. Wedge could tell things were going pretty good. Sabine hadn't brushed him off, and they were having a genuinely nice conversation. Ezra could tell, from his end.

"Give her a compliment." He suggested.

"I just did." Wedge whispered discreetly, turning his head away.

"No, I mean compliment her." Ezra elborated. "Tell her she looks nice."

Wedge blushed just from the mere suggestion.

"What? No!" He shot his idea down. "That's weird!"

"You've been with girls before, haven't you? Don't they like being complimented?"

Wedge looked hopelessly at Sabine's back as she tagged. She did indeed look very nice but...maybe now wasn't the best time for those kind of comments.

"Another masterpiece finished." Sabine exclaimed, stepped back again.

Wedge tried to blot Ezra's suggestion out his head when he came closer for a look at her tag. But even as he studied the stylised starbird, he barely saw it. His mind was just filled with ways he could compliment her.

And he couldn't stop himself.

"You know, Sabine...I think you're your own biggest masterpiece." He said quietly, yet still loud enough to be heard.

Wedge didn't look away from the tag, but Sabine simply blinked at him.

"Um...thank you?" She said back, a little unsure.

That definitely wasn't the best response. That moment of silence came again, and Wedge tried to make things less awkward again.

"You know, with the colours on you...and everything." He elaborated as he turned around, rubbing his arm. "You look pretty. The colours, I mean! Not you. Wait, I mean-"

Sabine stopped him before he had a panic attack.

"Okay, okay." She gestured for him to stop. "You like my work. Thanks."

Sabine gave him another smile, but she admittedly felt a little awkward. It was pretty clear from Wedge's bumbling that he had developed a liking to her. She supposed she had practise rooting it out, from how Ezra used to be around her. It was flattering, she guessed. But it wasn't the kind of attention she wanted.

But she...felt she had to get away from here.

"Hey, I gotta shoot. But it was nice talking to you..see you later?"

Wedge nodded and agreed, if only to spare himself the humiliation too. Sabine left him alone, and then Wedge immediately felt the need to express to the comlink.

"Ezra, that went horrible!" He hissed.

"Didn't sound like it did." Ezra said. "Sounded like you both had a good conversation."

"Yeah, but I messed it up thanks to your advice!" Wedge told him, quite annoyed. "Now she'll know I like her!"

Ezra didn't think that was so bad. Sabine knew that he liked her, didn't mean their relationship had to suffer for it.

"Hey, it's fine. Just keep talking to her." Ezra assured him. "The worst thing to do would be to leave it at that."

"Look...just leave things to me now, okay?"

Before Ezra could respond, Wedge turned the comlink off. Then he walked off, feeling the heat of embarrassment.

* * *

Wedge was wandering around the base, as the darkness began to fill the sky as night approached. He was contemplating his last conversation with Sabine, and wondering if he was too hard on Ezra.

 _"Maybe it wasn't that bad."_ He thought. _"Someone like her must get a lot of attention, right? There's no way I'm anything new to her."_

Someone that pretty had to have turned quite a few heads from boys. But Wedge wanted to be something new and impressionable to her otherwise he'd have no chance with her. But...maybe he doomed himself already, and came on too strong. Thanks to Ezra.

Perhaps he should call his efforts quits before it gets much worse.

But during his wandering, he found that particularly captivating bright hair again. The moonlight seemed to reflect off it quite well. Sabine was sitting on a rock a fair distance from the base, near the sensor markers that protected it from those Krykna spiders. There were a few roaming outside, and it looked like Sabine was studying them. He often found her in this very spot, at this time of night.

 _"Just leave her, Wedge."_ He told himself.

Yet, his feet didn't move away. There was no way he wanted to leave things off like earlier. Ezra was right about that, at least. So instead of walking away, he marched forward with confidence. When he got closer, he could see she was drawing in her sketchbook.

"Ahem. Hello." Wedge greeted softly.

Sabine brushed her hair aside and looked over at him.

"Ahah. Hey again." She returned his greeting. "We seem to keep finding each other today, Wedge."

"Yeah. Sorry if I'm annoying you." He apologised.

Sabine shook her hair and chuckled.

"It's fine." She assured him.

Wedge swallowed, and found himself gaining the confidence to sit on the rock beside her. But he distanced where he sat as far away from her as he could.

"Drawing spiders?"

"Mmhm." She nodded. "Just something to pass the time."

Wedge internally sighed. No point beating around the bush.

"Hey, look..." He began. "Sorry if I've been making you feel...uncomfortable, lately."

"Heh. It's no biggie." Sabine casually dismissed his concern.

Wedge found himself in another moment of quiet. But this time, it didn't feel awkward. With the night sky stretched over them, Sabine drawing and the spiders clicking a distance away...it was actually quite peaceful. And it made Wedge think about the appeal it had, to be alone much of the time and take these sort of things in. He wasn't an artist, but he knew that artists like to be inspired by the world around them.

Perhaps being a loner was just something Sabine liked...but at the same time, it was quite sad. He could tell there was more to her character than she let on. Wedge would've liked to give her more company, for more reasons than just simply because she's pretty.

"So...you sit here quite often, huh?" Wedge noted.

Sabine shrugged slightly, and didn't remove her eyes from the pages.

"It's a good spot."

"It is." He agreed. "I guess it's your own little spot in the world."

She came here almost every night.

"You can have a spot of your own, just find another rock." She chuckled.

Wedge forced himself to share in her laugh, but it died quickly. He was getting a bit tired of being ambiguous...so he wanted to get straight to the point.

"Listen, could you put the book down for a moment?"

Sabine's pencil stopped scribbling, and she looked at him curiously. She closed her book, and kept eye contact. Wedge had her attention, which he was thankful for.

"I know I haven't been here for the longest time, but I can't help but notice that you're almost always on your own." He began. "I don't know many people here, and you were the person who basically recruited me."

"Well really it was Fulcrum." She snook in.

"Fulcrum didn't risk themself by infiltrating the academy to contact me." Wedge told her. "Look, I was just wondering...if you would be open to spending more time together? I could do with a good friend around here."

He swallowed again. This was getting a bit easier as he went on. Maybe it was those brown eyes he was looking in to.

"And, I think you could do with one too." He finished.

Sabine could've made it awkward for him, easily. But she wasn't going to be like that. Wedge was being sincere and nice to her, so she had to return the courtesy.

But that didn't mean he would like what she'd say.

"We are friends, Wedge." Sabine told him firmly. "What...did you have in mind, though?"

It was Wedge's turn to shrug, albeit a little uneasily.

"Ah. I dunno, maybe...give you some piloting lessons?" He supposed. "You could show me how to shoot better. You did say you hoped I was a better pilot than a soldier."

Sabine smiled, she did indeed say that. But that wasn't right of her, pilots could be every bit of a solider as she could. What was Hera?

"Hah. I did, didn't I?"

There was another pause.

"So...what do you think?" He asked.

Sabine thought about it, she really did. She could tell Wedge wanted to be in her company for more than just because he fancied her. But Sabine was a loner at heart, it was just apart of who she was.

"Yeah, I'm sorry Wedge but I think I'm fine as is." She said sympathetically. "Don't take it personally, though. You're a good guy, and I think you're a good friend. But I...uh..."

Sabine just didn't believe she was ready to engage in things like relationships, as Wedge obviously wanted from her.

"...I just don't really..."

"Nope, it's fine." He spoke over her, turning his head away. "Really, it's cool. I respect your wishes. Don't need to convince me."

Sabine closed her mouth. Wedge saved her having to struggle explaining, so she appreciated that.

"Thank you."

Sabine looked down at her sketchbook. She lost her desire to finish her Krykna drawings, so she stood up and prepared to head back to The Ghost to end the day.

"I guess I sounded like a real creep, huh?" Wedge laughed weakly.

His crush simply looked at him, and shook her head.

"I don't consider my friends creeps." She told him. "Hey, Wedge?"

The young pilot looked up at her.

"I'll see you around."

She gave him a small smile, and walked past him while patting his shoulder. Wedge was left on his own...but he didn't feel too bad about all this, actually. In fact, establishing things between himself and Sabine felt good. No weirdness, just an understanding.

 _"Huh...maybe Ezra was right."_ He thought. _"It's not that difficult to get closer to her."_

It was just clear that Sabine wasn't interested in boyfriends. Which was a shame...she was easily the best looking girl here. But still, Wedge couldn't get upset over it. He would be glad enough for them to be friends.

And besides, despite what relationship they would have, nothing was stopping him from admiring her.

* * *

Sabine yawned as she entered The Galley. But sitting at the table was Ezra, writing into a small notepad which she had given to him. When he noticed her, he swiftly closed the pad but not so urgently as if to look like he was doing something suspicious.

"Where you been all day, Ezra?" Sabine asked as she opened compartments to look for something to eat. "Haven't seen you since breakfast."

"Eh, just been busy I guess."

He was curious about how Wedge was handling his solo attempts to chat up Sabine. He didn't even have to bring it up, though. Sabine sat down with a jogan fruit, and took a big crunchy bite.

"Well my day's been quite interesting." She began with her mouth full, placing her hand over it. "I couldn't stop running into Wedge, it felt like."

She saw him now and then since he was recruited, but certainly not as much as she did today. Ezra hummed in intrigue...he was definitely curious to know Sabine's side of his efforts. But he had to pretend he had no involvement, of course.

"He's a nice guy." Ezra said.

"Yeah, I know." Sabine nodded. "But uh...I think he's in love with me."

She couldn't hold back a small, embarrassed smile. Then she took another bite, and rested her elbow on the table.

"Well...can't say I blame him." Ezra muttered humorously and discreetly, removing his eyes from her and drumming his fingers on the table.

Sabine simply gave him a sharp stare, with that same embarrassed smile.

"Anyways..." She tried to move on. "Ezra...I don't seem like I try to isolate myself too much, do I?"

"What makes you say that?"

Ezra knew she was a bit of a loner, but Sabine never made much of an issue out of it until now.

"Wedge just kinda talked about it with me, before." She explained. "I mean, yeah I like my privacy but..."

Ezra became a bit more considerate.

"Well, you do kinda make it hard to talk to you...sometimes." Ezra admitted quietly. "Sometimes you're great. And sometimes...it feels like you push people away."

Sabine swallowed, and held off from eating for a moment. She thought about recent encounters she had with others, and whether she was welcoming to their company or not. It wasn't hard for her to see for herself that she wasn't great to talk to.

"It...doesn't bother you too much, does it?" She asked, a bit concerned.

Ezra simply qshrugged and smiled.

"Hey, I'm used to it." He didn't want her feeling bad about herself. "I'm AM the dork kid anyways, right?"

Sabine sighed and shook her head.

"C'mon Ezra, that was a long time ago." She chuckled. "I'm more of a dork, let's be honest."

She smiled again, and took another bite. As she chewed, she thought about the attention she got from boys. She never had a boyfriend, never even had the desire for someone like that in her life. But the idea was always intriguing...especially since Ezra was turning out to be quite the young man as he grew.

Her life did feel a bit lonely. She had friends, she had family, she had a place in the world...yet she still felt some kind of void in her heart.

She didn't know if she wanted to fill it.

"Hey, Ezra?" She quietly got his attention. "I've been thinking..."

"Mmm?"

"I uh..." Her mouth remained open as she looked for the words, to tell him that she wanted to reconsider their relationship...but she couldn't bring herself to speak the words, so she just smiled and shook her head. "Never mind. I've just had an interesting day, you know?"

She rested her chin on her hands, let out a long sigh. So close, yet so far.

Sabine finished her fruit. Maybe she wasn't ready to take the first steps into a world of romance and boyfriends, but she was willing to be a better friend to Ezra and Wedge. But especially Ezra.

"Hey, instead of lugging crates around tomorrow morning, why don't you come help me put together some speeder bikes?" She suggested.

Ezra tilted his head. Was Sabine offering for him to spend time with her?

"Speeder bikes?" He questioned.

"Yeah, we've been needing some so we can traverse the plains better." She told him. "Would be nice to have another pair of hands."

Ezra blinked. Didn't seem like a job for two people, especially since Sabine was such a darn genius anyways.

"I'm not exactly an engineer..."

Besides, Ezra was meant to be having some meditation time with Kanan in the morning.

"C'mon, would be a good opportunity to learn." She said teasingly. "Kanan taught you your Jedi magic, Hera taught you how to fly. You think I've got nothing to teach you?"

"Hey, I didn't say no..."

How could Ezra possibly say no to that face? Surely Kanan could forgive his lack of presence for one day...

"So it's a date?" She winked at him with a chuckle.

Haha..."date."

Ezra nodded enthusiastically.

"Cool. Wake up sharp in the morning, Ezra." She spoke as she slipped away out the galley for her room.

Ezra sat silently, feeling pretty good about himself. He just accomplished in ten minutes what Wedge spent almost the whole day striving for. Now alone in the galley, he looked down at the notepad he had been writing into. He opened it up, and turned the pages till he was where he left off before Sabine entered.

 _"Gotta learn, Ezra."_ He told himself.

On the page, was a list of notes. It was a collection of knowledge that he had learnt for himself, and things Wedge had learnt too, then told him about.

At the top of the page, read THINGS SHE LIKES.


	12. Free

**_Sometime between season 2 and 3._**

Ezra emerged from his cabin, stretching his muscles and getting the sleep out of his eyes. This brief moment of the day when first waking up was one of the few times where his pain was briefly forgotten. That, or when he's in the midst of the action during an assignment. But anywhere else, his mind was only on one thing.

On her.

And so memory hits him. He suddenly freezes a bit, remembers how horrible this day is supposed to be. And it makes him miserable.

He entered the lounge. He saw Hera sitting at the table, several datapads scattered in front of her. She looked tired, slouching over as she worked, her eyes like little slits. Chopper was by her side, looking like he handed her caf when she needed it. Ezra couldn't imagine she got much sleep. Just like the night before.

Ever since That Day, really.

"Hey Hera." Ezra said quietly, sitting by her side. "Late night again?"

His captain rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh. She knew being a captain of The Rebellion would be hard work, but things felt much more burdening in the last few months. So many things to manage on top of what she already did. But she wasn't going to complain about it...she had to do it.

For her.

"You know how it is." She said lightly, forcing a small chuckle. "Did you get much sleep yourself?"

Ezra knew his situation wasn't as bad as Hera's. But sleeping was still difficult for him. Through The Force, he could sense a lot of pain within the whole crew. It was very distracting when you're trying to sleep. Especially when it stems from someone you're close to.

"I think I'm getting enough." He supposed. "I'm fit for duty."

Hera didn't seem quite so satisfied with his answer, though.

"But are you fine, is just what I'm-"

Hera stopped herself. She felt a tremble across her body and her eyes swell up. She tensed her muscles and swallowed up her grief, and there was a lot to swallow. Ezra noticed and he comfortingly rested his hand on her arm. Hera nodded when she thought she was emotionally stable, and he let go.

Despite everything, she was proud at how much more mature Ezra had become. Recent events made him grow.

"How bad is it...?" He quietly asked.

He never wanted to know before. But it didn't feel like the situation was going to resolve soon, if at all. If that was the case, he believed he may as well know all the details. He watched Hera glance at him...she didn't want him to hear it, but it was his right to know.

She began by clearing her throat.

"Paralysis below the waist...spinal fluid leak..." She began listing the problems. "...and numerous infections..."

Hera closed her eyes and sighed again.

"She's lucky to even be alive, but...the amount of resources I have to manage, to keep her that way?"

Her hands gestured to all the datapads. Hera really had to pull her rank to be doing this, to be managing the movement of supplies and the procurement of drugs the patient needed. The Rebellion didn't have the best treatments at hand, and any medical issues they could handle was always a drain on their resources. For their current patient, it was definitely costing them a lot and what they could do for them was only keeping them alive, not actually healing them. Hera knew it wasn't good for The Rebellion, but...she had to do it. For her.

But...she always took the wellbeing of The Rebellion as a priority. She felt like she was working against her responsibility to Sato, to Phoenix Squadron. Like she was being selfish.

"Ezra, if it was anyone else..." She told with a lump in her throat. "...Sato would've probably pulled the plug."

Ezra slowly nodded, this certainly hurt to take in...but he understood the position Sato took. He had to see this from a military point of view, as hard as it would be. They were very fortunate that Hera held such a high rank.

"I understand." He said softly.

There was this long, painful silence between them, until Ezra finally spoke up.

"How's Kanan?" He asked. "Is he...?"

"How do you think?" Hera shook her head, a clear tone of bitterness in her voice. "He just shuts himself away from everyone all day, Ezra. She needs his support now more than ever and he...he just doesn't..."

Hera sighed in frustration. She understood that Kanan had issues of his own, she couldn't imagine what being permanently blinded was like, but it was like the Jedi was in his own bubble, where he ignored all the problems around him. And it made Hera mad. But she couldn't get him to budge.

She didn't know if this was just his way of dealing with grief or not, because she knew that Kanan was just as devastated as the rest of them. He was the polar opposite of Zeb in this instance, who made an effort every morning to visit the patient and provide her company...because the rest of The Spectres were busy, they couldn't be around her all the time. Hera hardly saw her at all, and Ezra only occasionally visited because he was frightened by what he saw.

Kanan had never went to see her even once.

"I'm going to talk to him." Ezra decided, standing up.

"I'll be very grateful if you can get him to stop being so isolated." Hera said.

"I'll see what I can do." Ezra told her. "And Hera? I know this is heavy work but...I really appreciate what you're doing. You're doing more for her than all the rest of us."

Hera gave the slightest, weakest smile.

"You should get some sleep." He told her.

Hera wasn't so enthusiastic on that, though. The day had just started, she'd be needed.

"I'll try to sleep better tonight." Hera promised. "But I have to work for-"

"Hera, please." He spoke over her, looking at her firmly. "You need to be focussed...this isn't healthy for you."

He took the datapads that were on her table. Hera glanced back up at him. Truly, Ezra had grown as a person. Looking at him made her yawn, and realise once again how tired she was. There was only so much caf could do for her.

"Okay, you win." She said, standing up and swallow walking out the room. "Please get Kanan to see her, Ezra."

Ezra watched her go to her cabin, with Chopper following close behind. Even the little mischievous droid never pranked or annoyed anyone in months...Chopper was just quiet. Ezra always found him very irritating in the past but...that actually made him sad, to see someone like Chopper be so tame.

He put the datapads away, then went out without breakfast. He wasn't hungry.

* * *

Hera wasn't the only one who was frustrated with Kanan. Ezra too had become annoyed at Kanan's tendency to isolate himself from everyone else. He was hardly around, he was always spending his day...meditating somewhere. It was effecting everyone, Ezra especially. Kanan was his master, yet the teachings had stopped completely. Ezra had to even step up and take his place due to his disability, and he had the holocron from Malachor to substitute Kanan's lack of teaching. What was Kanan to him, anymore? Not his master, and not his squad leader. He even questioned how much of a friend he even was, anymore...what sort of friend doesn't visit you when you're lying on a medical table, clinging on to dear life?

Because not even recent events were enough to get him to break this hermit phase.

 _"I'm sorry I put you in this position, Kanan. But you have to step up all the same."_

No one wanted to see him like this.

Ezra found Kanan a ways out from the base, near the sensor markers which protected the area from the krykna spiders. The Jedi was sitting in his typical meditating state, with a few dokma resting on him. He liked to spend all his time connecting with The Force, and the beings it inhabits. The Force was the only thing he could see with, now.

Ezra blamed himself for that, for trusting Maul. But he didn't blame himself for Kanan seemingly making an effort to be as unhelpful as possible.

"Ezra." The Jedi spoke his Padawan's name when sensing him. "Is everything-"

"Don't you dare ask me if everything is okay." Ezra interrupted, sternly. "I bet even you, out here on your own as you always are, can tell everything is...kriffed!"

Kanan was used to Ezra being...angsty, as of late. Their relationship had become rather strained since Malachor.

"The Rebellion is still surviving, isn't it?" He asked, in an attempt to make Ezra think.

Kanan wanted Ezra to see that while The Spectres were going through great emotional turmoil...The Rebellion, the thing they all signed up for and worked towards, was still strong. But Ezra didn't think much into it. He only felt frustration for Kanan to avoid the big issue at hand. Right now, he didn't care about The Rebellion...he only cared about her. And he knew Kanan did too, but he needed to start acting like he did.

"I want you to stop shutting yourself away." He told him, getting to the point.

Kanan was silent for a moment. He knew very well that his crew wasn't fond of his daily routine, but he had internal challenges of his own that he had to tackle. And to a Jedi, there's no issue that can't be dealt with with meditation.

"I'm no help to anyone like this." He stated quietly.

"No, Kanan." Ezra let out a long sigh, as he got closer to him. "I'm not asking you to help me on an assignment. I'm not even asking you, my own master, to give me Jedi training."

Ezra understood that Kanan was physically impaired, he wasn't blaming him for that. But Kanan was placing a lot of emotional tension on the crew. For that, Ezra could definitely blame him. Kanan was a Spectre, he was apart of this current situation as much as the rest of them. You would think that he wasn't, just by looking at him.

"Hera doesn't like seeing you out here by yourself all the time." He continued. "None of us do. Kanan, I am so SO sorry that I put you in this mess, but you have to stop...sulking!"

That's certainly what it looked like. Kanan had to break himself out of this phase before he got more and more detached from his friends.

"What do you want me to do, Ezra?" Kanan asked calmly, still facing the barren wilderness. "Provide moral support?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Would that be so bad...?" Ezra asked quietly.

It would be better than him not being around at all. Kanan was silent once again, and then Ezra also sighed once again.

"Kanan...why haven't you ever went to the Medical Bay?" Ezra continued to quiz him. "To see her?"

That was a question that he really wanted an answer to, because it wasn't like Kanan to be so...seemingly unsympathetic.

"I can't SEE anything, Ezra." Kanan reminded him.

"Oh c'mon, Kanan!" Ezra chastised. "You don't do anything else all day. What excuse do you have to not visit her? Do you not think she'd like to see you?"

"I can't bring myself to visit her, Ezra."

"Why!?"

Kanan didn't want to give the impression that he didn't care, because it was far from the truth. He was troubled just like the rest of them, right now. He hoped Ezra knew that.

"Ezra...it was all my fault." He admitted, sadly.

Ezra looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"She...when we went on a mission together..." He began, a struggle in his voice to speak. "I'm the reason she got hurt."

Kanan went on to elaborate. The Jedi believed he could overcome his blindness through The Force, so he tagged along with her despite her reluctance. Suffice to say, things went bad because of him. And he couldn't help her when she needed him most. And now, she was left in the state she was. And because of his shame, his guilt...he couldn't bring himself to talk to her.

Getting himself involved with her was bad. So he distanced himself.

"Kanan, I..." Ezra was going through a mix of anger and shock, Hera never told him this specific detail, which was actually very important.

Maybe she was afraid of what it would do to Kanan's relationship with him, which was already strained enough as is. And strained further, it became. Ezra's hands briefly tensed in rage, but he calmed himself. Things were too delicate for him to get mad, now. So he took a deep breath and began walking away.

"I'm just as devastated as the rest of you!" Kanan called after him. "But I can't help her, Ezra!"

He was afraid of what she might say, and what he might have to "witness".

"You can help her." Ezra muttered. "You just don't want to."

Kanan was left to think about what Ezra told him, and Ezra went on his way to the Medical Bay.

* * *

Walking down the bright, white halls of Phoenix Command made Ezra a bit nervous. He didn't make this trip to the Medical Bay often. The only times that it was necessary in the past was when Hera was hurt by those Mandalorian Protectors. But even now, his visits were only occasional. But though he wasn't there for the patient all the time in person, he was always there for her every day. If there was something she needed that The Rebellion didn't have, he was always the first to have Hera send him off to procure what was required. It often meant he had to put in more work in the day for The Rebellion itself, but he was alright with that.

He would do anything for her.

Ezra made it to her room, but the door opened on its own. Before him, he saw Zeb. The Lasat had finished his daily visit.

"Hey Ezra." He said quietly, but then walking off.

Ezra watched him go, like he was using anything to delay his entry.

"Hey Zeb." He said just as quietly, out of his friend's earshot.

He sighed and entered the room. It was the exact same one that Hera once found herself in...though the patient here this time was in a much worse condition. His steps were light as he approached the side of the medical bed, and he sat on the chair that was used for her visitors, which the only consistent one was Zeb. He looked at her, as she was getting some rest after her talk with him. She was a sad sight. Her olive skin was paler, sickly. Her hair's blue colour was fading, her natural brown becoming visible. She was hooked up to some machinery, which he imagined was expensive for The Rebellion to keep on her.

He closed his eyes and let out another sad sigh. It really hurt to see someone that he knew for being so spunky and strong be like...this. She had been like this for a couple months now, but he didn't think it had quite sunken in yet.

"Oh, Ezra."

She finally noticed another visitor in her room, turning her head to look at him. One could see the tired, dark sacks underneath her eyes. Her face just looked so...frail. She tried to sit up with a grunt, but it was difficult for her. Ezra rested his hand on her shoulder, urging her to just lay back comfortably. And she did.

"Hey, Sabine." Ezra put on a sweet smile, shuffling closer to her side.

She returned his smile, it was always nice to see him. It was nice to see anybody, really. Being kept here all day was torturous at first, but she (unhappily) grew used to it. She learned to appreciate people's company more...kinda made her wish she was more social when she could still walk.

For a moment, they just looked happily at each other, until Ezra finally spoke up with a question that Sabine was probably sick to death of being asked.

"How are you feeling?"

"Being like this...gets a bit easier every day."

Her voice was a bit croaky, and her breathing was a bit wheezy.

"I'm sorry for not visiting more often." Ezra apologised. "I know it must get pretty lonely, being in here all the time."

"Hey, how many times over the years did I tell you to leave me alone?" She chuckled, but then gave a weak cough. "But...I am glad you're here."

"Oh?"

"Hm. I want your opinion on something."

She reached under her blanket and pulled out her sketchbook. She beckoned for him to come closer, and look over her shoulder. She turned a few pages, then showed him the content of a specific page.

"These are all the ideas I have for different hairstyles." She explained, then pointed to a couple of the concepts in particular. "These are my favourites, I think. Which one do you think would look best?"

Ezra looked at the drawings. One of them was purple, with two pigtails at back. Another was pink, with a half-shaved design. He imagined what both would look like on her.

"You would look great with either, really."

Even in her sick state, he still thought she was very pretty.

"Well, I can't really try them out anymore." Sabine said with a sigh. "But it's nice to think about."

She let go of the sketchbook, letting Ezra have a closer look at her hobbies. Previously the contents to her sketchbook was for her to look at and her alone. But as she began to feel more isolated, she found herself growing more desperate to express herself and to share her interests with others...it was really all she could do now. She exhausted many of her topics to talk about with Zeb, so it was nice to do this with Ezra instead.

Ezra's face was amused as he flicked through the pages. The blank white had been filled with so many colours, drawings executed so well. He could really feel Sabine's soul leaping off these pages. This was her, at the core.

"You're so good at this..." He chuckled.

It did her good to see someone smile at her work.

"I can still use my hands, thankfully."

She raised her hands and wriggled her fingertips at him. And he continued reading, entertaining himself. When he turned a page, however, he saw that there was a note inside. He just naturally read through it as he did the previous stuff, but what he read made his heart sink to the deepest trenches of his being.

 _Mother,_

 _If you're reading this, I'm probably dead. Sorry, hope that wasn't too much of a bombshell to drop on you...or maybe you're glad I won't be around to stain our family name anymore. Things between us haven't been clear to me since leaving home, but I wanted to share some words in case you're even a little bit longing to know how your little bean is doing._

 _I guess I should start with skimming over what I've done all these years, after I ran away...since you all haven't tried to find or contact me. Well, I had a brief time as a bounty hunter, with Ketsu. You remember her, I'm sure. The girl that used to paint with me? Well it turns out friendship doesn't much in that particular occupation, because we parted on pretty bad terms. Left for dead levels of bad. But since then, I got all involved with The Rebellion...dangerous life, kinda my way of putting things right for what I did._

 _Which I guess I should talk about. What I did. We didn't exactly get a chance to talk since The Empire deployed my weapon on our people. I want you to know that I never meant for any of it to happen. I also want you to know that I ran away because I wanted to stop hurting you all, not because I was trying to avoid the consequences of what I've done. I thought about coming back a few times, but I was scared. What would everyone think of me? What would my clan think of me? What would my mother think of me?_

 _So I guess that's why I'm writing this. To help you shape my side of things. It sucks we can't discuss it in person...let's say that karma has finally caught up with me. Depending on how much you believe in what I've said, you'll see it as a tradgedy, or even justice._

 _Maybe when we're all together in Manda, I'll know for sure._

 _Your daughter,_

 _Sabine._

This was a huge shock to him. Not only was this the reveal of Sabine having living family, but also that she was expecting to die. He couldn't bare her having that line of thought. Ezra lowered the sketchbook, and looked at Sabine. She was resting her eyes again.

"S-Sabine?" He questioned. "What is this?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him. She realised he had read her note, and he was evidently a bit upset from doing so.

"Oh kriff, I forgot that was there..." She said quietly.

"Sabine..." He said her name again. "Why did you write this? You're not going to die..."

Sabine truly wanted to believe that. But she looked at this with a realistic perspective. Her body was broken...and she was hanging out with an insurgent crowd. That didn't exactly speak much for her future, or even her longevity.

"We all die, Ezra." She told him.

"I know. But you're not going anytime soon."

"C'mon Ezra, look at me..."

She glanced down at herself. She couldn't feel anything below the waist, she was hooked up to life support. Even if she lived, what sort of life was this?

 _"Not something I want."_

And it was burdening to her friends, to the whole of Phoenix Sqaudron. From what Zeb told her, her condition was not good for anyone. Resources were being dedicated to her, a crippled girl who will never walk again...at least not with the technology The Rebellion had access to. Sabine was a Mandalorian, a warrior. She was but one warrior of The Rebellion, and it wasn't right for her to be such a hassle.

"You're going to be fine, Sabine." Ezra promised, holding her shoulder gently. "We're all taking care of you."

It was supposed to make her feel better, but it actually made her feel worse. Sabine didn't want to be so dependant on others, not to this extent. She looked at him with a clearly upset face.

"Sabine, really it's not a problem. We all-"

"I'm not stupid, I know how hard this is on everyone..." She interrupted him, eyes swelling up and voice choking. "You all have to look after me like I'm some overgrown baby."

Her condition of impairment was much worse than Kanan's.

"I know all these drugs pumped into me is coming from Hera..." She went on, glancing at the tubes attached her arm. "It must be hard getting them, it's putting pressure on everyone. Ezra, she doesn't deserve this...none of you deserve this..."

"You're worth it, Sabine." Ezra assured her. "You're worth doing all this for."

She shook her head.

"This life isn't worth it." She said decisively. "And I've had enough of it."

He gave her a surprised look.

"Sabine...w-what are you asking me to do?" He asked hopelessly.

She controlled her emotions, swallowed them up. Then looked at him clearly. She couldn't dare bring herself to ask this of the others.

"The machine I'm hooked up to...I want you to turn it off."

Ezra's head suddenly began swimming with emotions and thoughts. But there was one thing clear to him: Sabine was asking him to let her die. And that request lay heavily on his shoulders.

"Sabine...I can't..." He whispered.

"You don't know what it's like, Ezra." She said, resting her head back. "I have to be fed, I have to be cleaned. I can't do anything on my own..."

It was a way of life that she found very difficult to swallow. And if this is what she was going to be fated with, she'd rather die. She'd rather be free from this pain.

"Are you in much pain...?" He asked tentatively.

"It's not too bad most the time, thanks to the drugs." She admitted. "But it doesn't matter, this isn't life to me. I want it to end...I want to be free."

Ezra absolutely refused to accept letting her go.

"We can help you someday." He told her, trying to make her see light at the end of the tunnel. "One day, we can get you proper help. You won't be like this forever!"

"If anyone from the other squads was in my position...they'd be left to pass. I don't want special treatment, I don't want to be a drain on everything here."

"You're not a drain on anyone, Sabine!" Ezra spoke up a bit, getting a bit closer. "I'd do anything for you. WE would do anything for you!"

He found himself taking one of her hands, holding her firmly. Sabine and Ezra looked at each other in a drawn silence.

"You would do anything for me?" She said quietly. "Then let me go."

He still didn't look swayed.

"Who would honestly be willing to go that far with helping me?" She wondered. "I'm not the centre of the Galaxy, Ezra. I'm just one person...who would do all that for me?"

Looking into his eyes, it seemed she already received his answer before he even opened his mouth.

"I would." He told her, firmly.

His grip on her hand tightened a bit. This wasn't news to her...in a way, she already knew.

"I know..." She nodded, choking up a bit again. "But that's why you have to let me go...The Rebellion needs you. The fight to The Empire is where you're needed, not the side of my deathbed."

She brought her other hand around, and placed it over his.

"I'm just one story in a bundle of trillions." She whispered with a weak smile. "And I don't want to dictate yours. You're my best friend, Ezra. I want you to be the one to end mine."

His face was trembling now. He could see that she really wanted this. And she did make a good case, he couldn't imagine being in her position. Even worse when you have to ask to be left to die. Would death truly free her?

"I...I dunno if I can..." He said with difficulty, his breathing becoming unsteady.

"For me, you can." She motivated. "And Ezra?"

He brought himself to look up at her. She could see his watery blue eyes.

"That note, give it to my family someday." She requested softly. "Tomorrow, next month...next year. Whenever it works for you."

Ezra took a deep breath to calm himself. It seemed Sabine set him on a path that he couldn't stop now. He wanted nothing more for her than to be happy, but it was clear to him that living brought her great unhappiness...he slowly began to accept her logic, like swallowing a big, nasty pill.

With great difficulty, he nodded.

"I promise." He whispered.

And so it was sealed. She gave him a sweet smile.

"Thank you." She turned her head and closed her eyes. "I know this is difficult, but I want you to know that you were the greatest friend when I needed it most."

She comfortable now.

"I'm ready." She announced.

Hearing that nearly made Ezra explode into tears. This responsibility was weighing him down so hard, it was a challenge unlike anything he had faced before. He looked at the life support machine which numbed her pain and kept her alive. Turning it off would mean certain death within minutes.

Something so simple as to turn it off would actually be the hardest thing he ever had to do.

"Okay...I'm doing it..." He told her, and partly himself. "I'm doing it..."

His quivering hand reached up, feeling like it was being chained down by heavy weights. He took him a while to do it, but he soon felt his fingers touch the switch. And with some effort, he felt the machine turn off, with an accompanying sigh by Sabine.

The dying girl felt her life fading now, the moment the life support was turned off. Her wheezy breathing slowed. Her face looked so peaceful...it was clear that this was what she wanted. She was going to be free, soon. From all the pain she was subjected to in this world.

"Ezra..." She began weakly.

Ezra quickly calmed his emotions, and scooted really close so he could hear her.

"Yes, Sabine?"

"Kanan...tell him he shouldn't blame himself." She said. "And get him to move on...he needs to move on, don't let him do what I did. Will you do that, for me?"

He gave her a slow nod, a tear dropped from his face and fell on her.

"I would do anything for you, Sabine."

She smiled, and reached her hand out to touch his face.

"I know you would."

Sabine brought him close, and kissed him. A delicate locking of their lips. Ezra rested his hand over hers as they shared what would be their final moment. Soon, he felt the strength in her hold give out. The kiss lasted until her final breath.

And then Ezra was alone.

* * *

Ezra walked around the edges to the Rebel base, along the sensor markers. His hands were in his pockets, and his face was glum. His footsteps were heavy.

 _"It's been a whole day since I lost her."_ He thought. _"And yet, it feels like nothing has changed."_

The Rebellion was as it always was, here. The sad thing was, Sabine's death did little in impact outside the circle of The Spectres. Ezra believed it would be huge, the end of the world, that things would never be the same without her...that's certainly what it felt like in the immediate effect. But he had to remember what he was told.

 _"One story, in a bundle of trillions."_

He stopped when he found himself looking down at a small memorial. It was just a stick out of the freshly dug-up ground, with a colourful Mandalorian helmet hanging from it. There were many things like this around the base, causalities were common here within The Rebellion. But Ezra now knew what it felt like to be so close to one of those who were lost. He thought, perhaps, he'd bit a bit used to the feeling of loss considering the fate of his parents. But Sabine's death honestly hurt more than his parents did...his parents were gone for a majority of his life when he learned their fate. This was fresh, this was new.

And it hurt to know who exactly was lost. Someone so amazing, so captivating...and he wouldn't get to enjoy her presence anymore. She wouldn't be around to tell him that she wanted to be alone, no one left for him to crush on, the blank spaces aboard The Ghost would remain blank...her empty cabin would probably get offered to him if he got tired of sharing a room with Zeb...but Ezra didn't know if he'd ever want to disturb what would become, to him, the museum of Sabine Wren.

He truly felt alone, now. Sabine was the only other teenager he knew here. And now she was gone. It was only their very last moments together did they share something so special.

 _"You were too good for this Galaxy..."_

He found a rock to sit on, and looked out to the barren plains. He knew that he was going to get very accustomed to coming here, right at this very spot near her grave. He stayed where he was, just thinking.

"It's not fair..." He whispered. "You deserved so much better..."

He felt a presence approach him.

"Nothing in this Galaxy is fair, Ezra."

He saw Sabine sat down beside him. Her armour was purple, her hair was a pretty pink. She looked so healthy, so strong.

So beautiful.

"I know. But you were a beacon of hope to me." He went on. "No one displays the spirit of Rebellion like you did."

Ezra was certain that losing Sabine wasn't like losing some pilot. She was much more to The Rebellion. This marks a dark day for everyone.

"It's up to you to pick up where I left of." She told him. "It's up to all of you. We all make sacrifices in this fight..."

He nodded, and he felt a single tear fall down his cheek.

"Yours hurt the most..." He barely managed to say.

"I know you'll make me proud, Ezra." She said. "And when you feel like hope isn't enough, just remember me."

"I'll never forget you."

She looked at him, and he saw her give a smile. A smile that would be immortalised in his brain.

"I know you won't."

Sabine stood up from the rock. Ezra watched her walk ahead, and take her helmet from the grave. She looked at him over her shoulder and gave him a small salute before slipping her helmet on, and walking forward. He just looked on. Watched her walk past the sensor markers, and into the plain wilderness...away from him, away from all the pain...away from everything. Her figure got smaller as she kept walking in a straight line...and he didn't remove his eyes from her.

He just kept watching her as she left everything behind, and went into the unknown. He felt the distance get longer and longer.

"Ezra."

The voice got his attention. He looked to his side, and saw Kanan standing a small way from him. The Jedi was saddened, just like him. He never got to take Ezra's advice very far, because it was too late by the time he made his way to the Medical Bay. But Ezra told him everything that he promised he would to Sabine, about how she didn't blame him for what happened...about how he had to move on from his hermit phase.

Kanan realised that Sabine didn't want him making the same mistake that she did, by shutting himself away from his friends. From his family.

"Kanan." Ezra greeted him quietly, looking back to the wilderness.

The Jedi approached his padawan.

"Are you alright?" He asked tentatively.

Ezra wiped his face, and his mouth trembled.

"She was right here, Kanan..." He whispered. "And now I've lost her forever. We've lost her forever."

"Remember what I told you?" Kanan said. "About your parents? Sabine will live on inside you...and inside me."

She was his friend, too.

Kanan didn't come here just to check on Ezra, however. There were things he needed to say.

"I've been thinking about what you said. And about what Sabine wanted me to know."

"Yeah, about how she didn't blame you for what happened." Ezra nodded.

"Yes. I know it might not be what you want to hear right now..." Kanan began to tell him. "But I know I was wrong."

Ezra looked at his master, his face clearly a bit pained.

"Things have just been so difficult, and you weren't making them any easier..."

Kanan nodded understandingly. It was clear to him that, if there's anything he could take from Sabine now, it's that isolating himself didn't help anyone.

"I know." He said. "And it's over now. I'm going to be there, every step of the way moving forward."

Ezra grew a sympathetic towards Kanan, now. It was true, things couldn't be strained between them. Especially now, they all had to be together in this.

"I never blamed you for what happened on Malachor, Ezra."

With that, Ezra felt a small amount of relief. Sabine passed such a thing to Kanan, and now Kanan to Ezra. Since Malachor, he always believed it had been his fault for Kanan being blinded. It was...good, to hear him say things were not that way.

"Thank you, master." He whispered.

Kanan felt the cold chill of the air, indicating it was starting to get dark.

"C'mon, let's go back." He suggested to his padawan. "We've got plenty of catching up to."

Ezra was hesitant to leave this place, but he stood up. He followed his master as they began heading back to the rebel base, probably the most conjoined thing they did since Malachor. If there was one thing Sabine left in them all, it was that they all had to stick together, and not make the mistake she made in life.

Ezra wondered if she truly would live on in himself, as Kanan told him she and his parents would.

He turned around to look at the wilderness again. Still, Sabine's figure was walking away deeper into the plains. The Krykna spiders that roamed ignored her presence, like she was an untouchable being. This beacon of light in the darkness. And her light was fading as she got further apart from him.

 _"Goodbye, Sabine..."_

He hoped, somehow, that she would be able to see all her friends going forward. And every day, he would miss her terribly.

But wherever she was, he knew she was free.


End file.
